Between a Stone and a Hard Place
by pouralaura
Summary: Strong, confident, twenty-two year old Ella moves to the Hoenn region to start something new, leaving heartbreak and growing up behind. She finds Training to be her new love, but doesn't expect to be swept off her feet by a man whom she knows nothing about. Steven x OC in May's role. (Follows the storyline of Ruby/Sapphire closely, so may start slow!)
1. Chapter 1

Being a Gym Leader's daughter had its perks.

Like when the Hoenn League paid for your family to move regions; moving expenses, house, and all. Ella had chosen to come with her parents rather than stay in Johto for a myriad of reasons, most of them involving how much she loved them and how difficult and costly it was to travel across region boundaries constantly. She would stay with them for a short time while she established herself in the area, but at twenty-two years old she no longer felt comfortable making a permanent home with them when she was fully capable of supporting herself. Ella had a degree in Psychology from Olivine City College, having gone the scholarly route instead of making her way as a Pokemon Trainer, which her father had greatly approved of. Norman Rosewater had dropped out of high school himself to pursue his dream of defeating the Elite Four. Luckily, he had been successful, and had spent a brief stint as the Johto League Champion before he married Ella's mother and settled down in New Bark Town; but his dreams for Ella included her completing her schooling before making her way out into the Pokemon world. She was all too happy to do so, having graduated both high school and college at the top of her class without too much effort on her part. Now, though, she had more open doors in front of her and it was up to her to choose one. Moving to Hoenn seemed like a decent enough time to get started.

Ella hopped out of the back of the moving truck deftly, meeting her parents at the door to their new home. It was modest but cozy, with only two bedrooms, a bathroom and a half-bath, and a kitchen and living room. The Rosewaters were a well-established and fairly wealthy family, but chose to save most of their funds for traveling and extra expenses.

"Nothing broken?" Norman raised his eyebrows at his sweatpants-clad daughter.

"We're good. No worries. Scary moment there with the full-length mirror and a bookshelf, but I saved everything." Ella winked at her parents and stepped past them to open the front door for them, following at their heels. Three Machokes were already at work bringing boxes into the small house, and one had lit a fire in the fireplace to warm the room.

"This Pokemon moving service is just glorious." Lily, Ella's mother, beamed at one of the Machokes, who returned the gesture with a gracious low growl.

"Why don't you make them some Pokeblocks with the berries I have in my satchel, Lily?" Norman handed the shoulder bag he was carrying to his wife and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Ella can go upstairs and handle her things—and see the little gift I bought her."

Ella grinned at her father. "Oh, Daddy. You spoil me."

"It's nothing much, just thought it'd make things feel a little more homey." He motioned up the stairs. "Go ahead."

Still smiling to herself, Ella ascended the steps into the narrow hallway that held only two doors. The one on the left was hers. The room was already set up with a twin bed, her desk and dresser, and above the tiny trash can…was a lovely glass wall clock with Roman numeral numbers and a rose-colored rim. "Perfect." Norman knew how to take care of his daughter. She set the clock—11:45 am. "Now to change out of my sweats."

Ella decided on a deep brown pencil skirt and turtleneck crop top, showing just a strip of skin between the two, with a mustard-yellow oversized cardigan and tall brown stiletto boots. Appropriate fall weather, professional and feminine. Perfect to introduce herself to the Professor, Norman's friend who lived in town. She wasn't sure what he would have to offer her, whether it would be insight on Pokemon or an opening in his research lab. Either way, it would be a start. She ran a brush through her thick wavy blonde hair, letting it fall past her shoulders to its full length, and applied a touch of eye makeup and a coat of dark lipstick. Ella was certainly very attractive, and she held herself confidently, like she knew it. Historically, she had never really lacked for attention.

"Well? Do you like it?" her father asked from the doorway of her room.

"Dad. I love it. Thank you." Ella turned from the mirror she had been using and stepped across the room into Norman's arms. "It's just what I needed."

"Excellent." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "You look lovely. Definitely ready to go see Birch."

"Thanks, Dad."

Professor Birch's lab was the largest building in Littleroot Town, located just south of absolutely everything else, so Ella had no trouble finding it. She politely introduced herself to the people she met along the way, noting how kindly they all welcomed her. It was a pleasant place to live so far.

As she got closer to the lab, though, she noticed that the windows were dark—it appeared to be currently vacated by any researcher. Ella found that the door was locked, too, so she decided to stop by the family's house instead. It was right next door to her own new home anyway. She knocked lightly on the door, and waited only a moment for an answer.

"Oh, you must be Norman's daughter! Please come in!" A woman Ella assumed to be Mrs. Birch greeted her warmly and practically pulled her into the house. It was built very similarly to the Rosewaters', so much so that Ella had a brief spell of déjà vu. "It's so nice to meet you, dear—you are the spitting image of your father!"

"It's nice to meet you too. And I'll take that as a compliment!" Ella smiled warmly at the woman, but noticed that there was no sign of the Professor here either.

"Can I pour you a cup of tea? Make you a sandwich?"

"Oh, no, don't worry about me! My house is pretty busy right now and I just wanted to take a small break to come introduce myself. Is your husband here?"

Mrs. Birch laughed. "No, he's not often at the house. Usually he's at the lab, but right now I think he's up on 101 doing some fieldwork. Brendan was actually going to go out there now—Brendan?" She walked over to the stairs and called the same name again.

"Coming!" came a male voice from the upper part of the house. There was a short burst of footsteps on the stairs, and then a tall young man came tramping down to the ground floor. He was probably six feet tall, with messy platinum blonde hair and a bandana tied around his head, a black and red track jacket, and tan cargo shorts. "I'll be back in a couple of hours, I think—who's…" His demeanor changed when he saw Ella standing next to the kitchen table. Straightening his posture, he raised his eyebrows, cleared his throat, and not-so-slyly looked her up and down. "Hi. I'm Brendan Birch."

Ella smirked at his reaction. "Hey, I'm Ella Rosewater. Just moved in next door." She got this response often from men—and some women. She knew that she was very beautiful in a dainty, intelligent way, and it generally worked very well in her favor. Brendan certainly wasn't her type, but his attention was flattering.

Mrs. Birch seemed delighted with the interaction. "I think Ella's about your age, Brendan. Twenty-ish?"

Ella nodded and smiled kindly at her. "Twenty-two." She looked at Brendan. "I'm sure we will run into each other a lot. Could you maybe take me to meet the Professor?"

Brendan was still slightly flustered. "Yeah, absolutely. He's up on 101. Wanna go now?"

"Please! That would be great."

Mrs. Birch gave her son a quick kiss, Ella a delighted hug, and sent the two of them off. Ella was happy to finally be getting somewhere, and she enjoyed the company of the lanky guy next to her. "Your mother is just wonderful."

"Ha. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that. She's a little bit stifling sometimes, but it's not a big deal. I've stayed around this area for quite awhile because I really don't think she could deal with me going anywhere far away."

They made their way north past a few more villagers. "Yeah, I feel you there. My parents are really great too, but my mom would prefer me stay home always. Dad's always been a Gym Leader, though, so he's all for me doing everything and going everywhere. Hopefully I'll be able to find something here in Hoenn to keep me occupied."

"There's so much to do here, I'm sure you will—" Brendan stopped suddenly. "Ella, look!"

Ella glanced up ahead. There was a cloud of dust just past the Route 101 sign, and she could hear a man's yells. "Shit! What's happening?"

The two of them ran the rest of the way to the sign and into the dust. Once inside the cloud, they could see a man in a white lab coat being chased by a seemingly enraged small dog Pokemon.

"Dad!" Brendan yelled. "What should we do?"

The man looked over his shoulder as he sprinted to their right. "Brendan! And…young lady! Ahhh…in my bag! There are three Pokeballs, pick one and please use it!"

Ella looked down at her feet and found the bag he spoke of right next to her. She pulled out the first round object she found and threw it as she had seen Norman do many times. It worked, shockingly enough—she had half expected nothing to happen—and a brilliant flash of light flew from the ball in midair, forming a small creature who then landed on the ground. The light cleared, and she saw it was a frog-lizard type Pokemon, green all over to the tip of its leafy tail. It turned to her and cocked its head slightly.

"Uhh…Tackle! You know that move, right?"

The Pokemon continued to look at her, rather expectantly.

"Okay, if you don't know Tackle, you must know Scratch…or…how about Pound?"

At the last one, the Pokemon's eyes lit up, and it turned toward the opposition. It jumped high into the air and came down on the other Pokemon with its fists outstretched, causing the small dog-like creature to whine in pain and tear its attention away from the Pokemon Professor, who was able to stop running and double over to catch his breath. The dog Pokemon howled at Ella's Pokemon and then lunged at it, but Ella's Pokemon dodged artfully and quickly retaliated with a another Pound that left the dog unable to fight any longer. It limped away in defeat, and Ella's victor turned to her once more, leapt over, and nuzzled her hand gently.

"Oh. Good…good Pokemon…" Ella murmured, mildly stunned at the show of affection. Somehow, she'd won.

"Treecko." Professor Birch had regained his footing and breath, and was now walking towards her and Brendan. "That's a Treecko, a Grass Pokemon, and he seems to like you already. And I'm Birch, and you must be Norman's lovely daughter."

"Treecko," Ella said, and the little Pokemon looked up at her. "Good work." Treecko closed his eyes, the corners of his scaly mouth turned upwards in contentment. Brendan met her eyes in approval. "It's very nice to meet you, Professor."

"Would you like to carry him back to my lab? I have some things I'd like to talk to both of you about," said Professor Birch kindly.

They walked back in mostly silence, save for mild small talk and the tiny noises Treecko made in Ella's arms. He was strange to touch, scaly but soft, and not at all unpleasant. She rather liked him, and the fact that he seemed contented to be held by her was helping. They finally arrived back at the lab, and Professor Birch led the group inside.

"Ella, I can't thank you enough for helping me out back on 101. Sometimes I get so engrossed in what I'm doing that I forget to pay attention to the wild Pokemon I might be disturbing. That's probably bad for a Professor to say…but anyway, I'd really like to repay you."

"Professor, that's not necessary. I was—"

"I'd like to give you the Pokemon you're holding."

There was silence while Ella processed that offer in her mind.

"Treecko obviously likes you very much already, and I think that you should have a strong bond with your first Pokemon. What do you say?"

"I…would love to keep him! Thank you so much!" Ella was floored. The little Pokemon she held in her arms looked up at her and made a purring sound. She was in love. "He's perfect."

"Consider it done then." The Professor grinned. "Brendan, I hate to give you second choice, but you get second choice."

Brendan shrugged. "Hey, what're you gonna do? I had my eye on this little chick anyway…" He picked up one of the two Pokeballs offered him by his father and tossed it gently. A tiny orange chick appeared after the initial flash of light and gave a tiny, happy cluck. "Torchic. Ready to kick some ass?" His Pokemon, in response, hopped onto his shoe. "Hell yeah you are."

Ella laughed. "That's adorable. Professor, I can't thank you enough."

Professor Birch waved her thanks off. "It's no trouble. I want to help you both get started on your Pokemon journey, whether or not you become Trainers or Breeders or scholars or researchers. That journey starts here. And I have some gifts to help you on your way…" He handed both of them a PokeDex. "This will record information on every Pokemon you meet or catch. I would love for both of you to someday obtain information on every Pokemon, but that's a goal for far in the future, I think."

Treecko chirped, and Ella hugged him tightly in her arms. "Well, I can't wait to get started, then."


	2. Chapter 2

After running home and packing a bag, with a tearful goodbye from her mother, Ella found her way to Oldale Town easily enough, with a couple of run-ins with the same kind of dog Pokemon she had seen earlier (a Poochyena, she learned from her PokeDex) as well as a few Wurmples and Zigzagoons. These weren't hostile unless engaged, so they didn't prove to be too much trouble, although one of the Poochyenas engaged her in battle and she and Treecko fought back, eventually winning. The Pokemon Center turned out to be the most social place of the whole town, with a café built into the side and several tables to relax at. The nurse was pleasant and polite and took care of Treecko immediately. With that and the purchase of a couple of Potions, Ella made her way north to route 103, where she knew Brendan would be. A few battles on the way to meet him provided two level increases for Treecko, and she healed him with a Potion before getting to the end of the route. Brendan was crouched in the tall grass near the riverbank, writing something in a notebook.

"Hey, dude." Ella came up behind him, and he immediately stood up and spun around.

"Ella! Hi. How are you? Doing well?" He was red in the face again.

"I'm just fine, how are you? What's all this?" She motioned to his notebook and tried not to make him nervous.

That question distracted him enough to get his mind off of his feelings for the pretty girl in front of him. "I'm working on a log of all of the Pokemon that live on this route. I figure I'll do that for each new place I come to, training my Pokemon along the way. Then I'll have plenty to show my dad when I get home. See?" He showed Ella what he had written so far. It was full of information on the three Pokemon that could be found in the area—not too much to go on, but very complete.

"Yeah, that's a good start! I don't think I'm that interested in being quite as thorough as you, but we'll see what happens, right?"

"Speaking of seeing what happens…do you want to have a battle?" Brendan grinned sheepishly at her, slipping his notebook into his shoulder bag. "We can do it right here."

Ella smirked. "You want to battle me?" She grabbed Treecko's Pokeball from her belt and held it ready. "Sure thing. Can't promise you'll come out in one piece, though!" She was surprised at her own confidence already in something she had just begun doing.

"Let's do it. Torchic, go!" Brendan released his little fire-chick, and it chirped excitedly at the prospect of battling.

"C'mon, Treecko. No problem." Ella sent in her scaly friend, determined as usual.

"Torchic, start with a Scratch!"

Torchic hopped toward Treecko immediately, who had a hard time following its erratic movements. The chick managed to scrape the skin of the other's torso with a tiny foot, and Treecko knocked her away; he followed up with a Pound. Torchic was already reeling from that attack—Brendan obviously hadn't had time to train her very much.

"Quick Attack, Treecko!" Treecko swiped, lightning-fast, at his opposition, and she collapsed in a tiny heap.

"Torchic…return." Brendan looked discouraged as he called his fainted Pokemon back to her ball. "That was harder than I expected."

"I've been working with Treecko to train for a couple of hours, and he's still not tired somehow…I'm sure that he'll be pretty exhausted sooner or later, especially after this battle with Torchic! Don't worry about it—you're doing fine. Torchic obviously just adores you already."

He perked up. "Yeah. I think so too. Do you…want to head back to Oldale with me, to the Pokemon Center?"

"Sure. Let's go!" Ella recalled Treecko, who gave an affectionate tiny growl before he returned.

"So it seems like you're doing really well," said Brendan kindly as they set off. "It looks like Training might be your thing."

Ella looked down, blushing and smiling. "I…hadn't ever thought of it, really. But maybe you're right. I love being confident in myself when I do things. And this is one of those things."

Brendan put a hand on the small of her back. "Then go for it. Your dad would be pretty psyched." He let his hand linger for just barely too long before removing it. "I…wanted to ask you something."

They had arrived at the Pokemon Center, and Brendan held the door open for Ella, following her in. "I wanted to know if I could take you out to dinner sometime."

Shit. Ella wished he could've just held it in. They would make great friends. "I…Brendan…"

His face fell as they sat down at a small table in the corner. "No, it's fine. I get it."

"It's just…I'm not ready to start dating here." That wasn't a lie. She had left a bad memory back in Johto. Jamie was beautiful and strong and an incredible Pokemon Trainer. He had been training for the Elite Four back then, and had decided that the task was more important than his future with Ella. For a long time, they had discussed getting married…but then he became married to his training, and left Ella in the dust. It was a mutual break, but that didn't erase the depression that went with it. She would never admit out loud that he was part of the reason she had left. "I'm not really into the idea of a relationship right now. But I'm really happy to have made friends with you and I'd like to keep that going. I promise."

Brendan smiled sadly at her. "Okay. That's fair. I know you just moved here…you're just very beautiful and obviously very good at what you do. It's nice to see."

Ella beamed. "Thank you. That's so fantastic to hear! I love it when people think that about me. I'm really, really pleased that we're friends, Brendan."

"Me too, Ella. Me too." They took their Pokemon up to the counter to be healed. "Can we make sure that we catch up and get coffee or whatever the hell whenever we run into each other?"

"Yes. Of course." She realized that they were actually going their separate ways now. Brendan was going to research, like his father, and she was becoming a Trainer, like her father. "Keep in touch. And we'll come home plenty."

"Right." Brendan started to leave the building, but turned around. "Do great things, Ell. And…" He fished around in his bag, and tossed her a small package. "Take some Pokeballs. I have plenty."

She caught the toss, and lifted a hand in farewell. "Thanks, Bren. You too."

The nicknames felt nice. She really hoped they could stay in touch.


	3. Chapter 3

Ella found a tiny bed-and-breakfast on the outskirts of the little town where she decided to stay the night. Everyone was so friendly in Hoenn…she knew she was going to like it here, no matter how she ended up. She rose the next morning chipper and ready to start, Treecko's Pokeball at her belt.

Route 102 was fairly uneventful, although she did get into another couple of battles with younger kids, defeating them pretty easily. She tried her hand at catching Pokemon, and was successful with a Taillow. It seemed a little harder to get to know than Treecko was, but she let it ride on her shoulder into Petalburg and it chirped and nibbled her ear gently sometimes. Treecko was becoming just as confident as she was with battles, and often gave her an assuring nod or glance when she let him out of his ball in preparation for a battle. Ella strongly hoped that this would be foreshadowing for her future as a Trainer. She felt well-equipped to succeed.

Petalburg was a much larger town than Oldale, and Norman's Gym was at the north edge. Ella decided to stop there first, just to show off her Pokemon to her father and ask his advice about preparations for heading to the first big city. She headed towards the Gym, Pokemon in tow—

"Hey, Trainer!"

She spun around to see a middle-aged man waving at her. "Hello!"

"Have you been to the Gym in this town yet? You should really go before you do anything else!"

"I was actually just on my way there now."

"Okay! Well, excellent! Wouldn't want you to leave without checking out the Gym. It's really something!" He turned back around, walking away. "Have a nice day!"

Ella squinted in confusion. "Thank you, sir…" People of this town. Friendly, but maybe a little overzealous? She shook her head and continued down the path to the Gym. The front door was open slightly to let the cool autumn air in, and she stepped through the gap in the doors to see her father waiting for her with a grin on his face, leaning up against the dark wood paneling of the wall.

"Took you long enough, Ella."

"Hey, shut up, you didn't even know I'd be doing this at all, Dad!" She crossed the room in three strides and let Norman envelop her in a bear hug. "I'm glad to be here, though."

He kissed the top of her head and released her. "I'm glad too, sweetie. I knew when you got ahold of a Pokemon you wouldn't want to stop. You're too much like me to want to research or breed Pokemon, though I would absolutely support you if that's what you wanted to do."

"Well, turns out I'm pretty set on Training. It's been really neat so far, and look at my little dudes!" Ella grabbed the two Pokeballs from her belt and released Taillow and Treecko. They chirped happily at the sight of her and Norman.

"Oh, how friendly!" Ella's father exclaimed. "Is Ella taking good care of you two?"

Both Taillow and Treecko nodded. Ella was surprised at how well they understood human language already—although, if anyone could speak to Pokemon properly, it was her dad.

"Did you have any trouble on your way in?" Norman asked her, leading her and her Pokemon towards a couple of cushioned chairs in the lobby of the Gym. "Actually—obviously not. How did your mother take to you leaving the house?"

"Oh, she's fine. A little nervous, but I was expecting that. I'll write her before I get too much farther, I think." Ella sat down and looked over at her Pokémon, nodding at them to let them know they could run around in the lobby and have fun for a few minutes. They immediately engaged themselves in a makeshift game of tag, although Taillow had an unfair advantage because it was able to fly.

"That's to be expected, I suppose. She'll be alright, though. It's sort of like you leaving for college, except now you're on your own schedule and there aren't any exams at the end."

Ella laughed. "Life is basically the exam. We'll see how that goes."

"Did you meet Birch's son?"

She winced at that.

"Uh oh, did I strike a nerve there? Do you not like him?"

"No I like him fine, he just tried to ask me out within a couple hours of meeting me."

Norman grinned sheepishly. "Whoops. Go figure. My daughter, the heartbreaker."

"He's a little young, and not my type. But we'll be good friends, I'm sure." Again, she sincerely hoped so. It would be nice to establish some sort of consistency in a career that didn't always have it.

Norman sat down in a chair across from his daughter and watched them as they played. "Those two seem to be thick as thieves already, and clearly they respect you."

"Yeah. I feel great about them. Taillow was harder to get to know, but we're getting there slowly but surely."

"It's important to form bonds with your Pokémon when you catch them, as you've obviously already noticed. It helps to catch them very young so they grow up with you, like I've done with my Slakings."

Ella had seen her father's huge gorilla-like Pokémon many times, having grown up a Gym Leader's daughter. They were lazy, but threatening, looking like they could crush anything in their paths as long as they were motivated enough to get up off the ground. Norman could almost always encourage them to work as hard as any Pokémon she'd ever seen, though. Dignified and good-looking as her father was, he was not an intimidating man, but he certainly had an authoritative and severe air about him when he was battling. "Oh, I know. I've seen that firsthand!"

Norman nodded encouragingly. "Good. I really think that even getting a late start with this, you'll be well-equipped to—"

He was cut off by the door to the Gym opening and a small boy of about thirteen running inside. "Mr. Norman! I have a question!" His cheeks were flushed and his sandy blond hair was blown erratically out of place.

Norman, looking vaguely amused, stood up from his chair. "I may have an answer, young man. What is it?"

The boy stopped a few feet short of Norman, breathing heavily. "I—I'm Wally. I want to catch a Pokémon. Can you help me do that?"

The Gym leader chuckled. "Well. You've come to my Gym at the right time, Wally. This is my daughter, Ella."

Ella looked at her father, wide-eyed. "What? I mean—hi, Wally." She stood up, and Treecko and Taillow stopped what they were doing across the room to look to her curiously. "Er…how can I help?" She shook the young boy's hand.

"I'd like you to help young Wally catch his first Pokémon, as you may have gathered from the conversation. I think it will be good experience for you." Norman nudged her arm with his elbow. "I'll even lend you some supplies."

Wally smiled brilliantly. "Wow, really? I appreciate this so much!" His eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Let's go find one, Ella!"

Ella was delighted to see such genuine enthusiasm in the boy. She didn't mind doing this for her father. "Okay. I'm sure we can find a Pokémon you'll love."

"Take these," Norman said, and handed Wally three Pokéballs. "And—here, you can borrow my Pokémon. It's a Zigzagoon, just right for wearing a wild Pokémon down enough to catch it."

"Thank you, Mr. Norman! I hope we will be back soon!" As soon as Wally had the materials in his hands, he was out the door again.

Ella smiled warily at her father. "Full of energy, isn't he? I'll make sure things turn out alright."

"Be careful. I'm sure I'll see you in another few minutes." Norman gave her a wave as she left.

Wally was waiting for Ella right outside, practically bouncing with anticipation. He was small and wiry and looked rather sickly, but his joy was apparent to anyone who saw him. "Where do you think we should look first?"

Ella pointed in the direction of where she had first entered the town. "Over there, I think. There are plenty of patches full of tall grass, and I ran into so many Pokémon when I was coming into town!" She knew they would likely find a Zigzagoon or a Wurmple that might appeal to Wally.

The boy nodded vigorously. "Sure. Let's go!"

Wally turned out to be a fast learner and a good listener, and they returned to the Gym swiftly with a Ralts—something Ella hadn't expected, but she was pleased nonetheless. He was terribly grateful to both her and her father for helping him, and started asking many questions about Training and how Pokémon lived, but his mother stopped by to pick him up before he could get many answered. She said that her son was going to stay with some relatives in Verdanturf Town to hopefully improve his health, and she thanked both of them again graciously for helping him catch a companion.

When they had left, Ella turned to Norman, grinning from ear to ear. "I like helping people. That was nice."

Norman wrapped his daughter in a hug. "It's shit like that that helps me realize I'm doing the right things and gets me through the tougher times. Wally's gonna be happier because of what we helped him do, and he might even become healthier."

Ella sighed happily against Norman's chest. "That's the best."

He pulled back, keeping his hands on her shoulders. "Now I think it's time for you to head out yourself. You have so many places to be, and so many Pokémon to catch."

She laughed. "I suppose I do. Plenty of day left to make some progress, too. Thanks for hanging out with your amateur daughter for a little bit."

He winked at her. "Next time I see you, I hope you'll be challenging me to a Gym battle for my Badge."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure I'll be back before long."


	4. Chapter 4

_Hey all, author here. Thanks to everyone for the follows and favs! I've been writing for a long time, but this was the first time I'd decided to publish online. It's really fun so far and I'm hoping to do a lot of this over the summer! Thank you to Dreaming of a Skylark for my first review-it's so encouraging to know that someone enjoys my work :) Also, just to let everyone know, even though this story is pretty happy-go-lucky so far, there will be some dark moments in later chapters, as well as a good deal of smut once Steven is introduced. There WILL be mature content...we just have to get there first! Hahah. Again, thank you so much for reading!_

Ella's next stop was Rustboro City, where she would hopefully succeed in defeating the first Gym Leader in a battle. She knew she was well-equipped for that success with her Treecko, as Roxanne's type of choice was Rock; but she hoped to pick up another couple of Pokemon somewhere in the woods which connected the surrounding areas of Petalburg and Rustboro.

She left Petalburg in a wonderful mood, with Treecko and Taillow at her belt. Her chat with her dad had been just the thing to give her the resolve to get through her day. It was only noon, and the weather was just beautiful!

Outside of the city, she found a strip of coastline and a stunning view of the water beyond. There were children playing on the beach and adults sipping drinks as they watched their young ones build sandcastles and race each other around, and Ella couldn't help but smile as she stepped onto the sand. Even in the fall, this was a gorgeous place to spend some time. She ordered a tall hard cider from a vendor nearby and sat on a bench to watch the waves roll in. A couple of young children came up to her and asked for battles—including a small, red-faced boy who was struggling to get sand out of his shorts—and she took them up on the offer, whispering to Taillow to "play nice" as she let it out of its ball. Her Pokemon seemed to understand what she meant and was gentle on its opponents, though still it earned nothing but victories. When the red-faced boy looked disappointed in the result of the battle, Taillow flew over, perched on his shoulder, and nibbled at his ear, earning a burst of laughter and a smile from both the boy and Ella.

"Will you come back and battle me again sometime?" asked the boy, looking down at his feet in the sand and blushing.

Ella laughed again. "Of course I will. Keep spending time with your Seedot, and I bet you'll give me a big challenge next time I'm here!" She ruffled his hair fondly.

"PEEKO!" He suddenly darted around Ella to reach something beyond where she stood, and as Ella turned around she realized it was a Wingull. "I haven't seen you yet today!"

The bird Pokemon took flight briefly and landed on the youngster's cap. He almost toppled right over, but caught his balance and grinned from ear to ear at its presence on his head. Ella was charmed by the Pokemon's familiarity with the boy, and saw its smiling, elderly owner not too far away, sitting on a bench on the pier. He waved at her.

"That's Mr. Briney," said the boy. "He lives in that little house and has a boat!"

"Good to know," murmured Ella, and waved back, smiling shyly. Everything about this region was so quaint.

She didn't get too far away from the beach before running into another Trainer looking to battle her. This one, though, was far less favorable than the children on the beach. He was a tall, slender, pretentiously well-dressed teenager, and took the opportunity to greet her as she passed.

"Hey there, gorgeous. Fancy a battle? Or an expensive dinner? I can provide both." He combed his fingers through his hair and smirked at her, clearly expecting a positive reaction.

Ella narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll battle you, sure. We can skip the dinner, though—I think I'm a little old for you." She folded her arms.

His cheeks flushed slightly, but he seemed mostly unfazed. "I'm sure I'll grow on you, sweetheart." Pulling the single ball from his belt, he stepped forward. "Zigzagoon! GO!"

Treecko defeated the other Pokemon in three turns, lowering its opponent's defenses and then charging in for a couple of swift Pounds. Zigzagoon seemed overconfident, like its owner, putting up an impressive front, but losing security completely after the first hit.

"Damn. Return—" The teenager sullenly recalled his fainted Pokemon. "That wasn't fair."

"Oh?" Ella picked Treecko up and gave him a gentle squeeze. "Why not?"

"Because…you…it just wasn't, okay?" He was fuming, embarrassed. "I'm leaving."

Ella watched him storm back down the path. What a child. If people behaved like that every time they lost a battle, no one would ever get very far at all. All the more reason to enjoy learning from people like her father, she supposed.

She entered Petalburg Woods then, and was surprised to see how much light the trees blocked. It was so dark that she could even make out the glow of fireflies in certain places. It was foreboding, certainly—but there were also several people she could see roaming the tall grass, so perhaps there wasn't so much to worry about.

These people turned out to be mostly Bug Catchers—young men and hobbyists with magnifying glasses and lots of pockets for carrying things. They challenged her to battles, which she easily won with Taillow (the merits of carrying a Flying-type Pokemon). Ella highly doubted she would ever be excited at the prospect of studying Bug-types. They were loud and fluttery and she'd always detested insects of every shape and size. She figured, however, that she ought to try and catch at least one for experience. But what to go for…

As Ella was contemplating this, a tall, spindly man in a lab coat crossed her path. He seemed to be very preoccupied with looking for something on the forest floor, but when he found her shoes instead of what he was searching for, he looked up at her confusedly.

"Hello…" He squinted at Ella through his thick glasses. "I'm looking for a Pokemon called Shroomish. Have you…have you seen any of those? Around here?"

Ella bit her lip. What an awkward fellow. "No, sir, I don't think so. At least not yet." She wasn't sure she even knew what a Shroomish looked like. "Would you like me to help you—"

At that moment, she was interrupted by a loud voice from behind them.

"Ha! I've found you, old man!"

A shorter, younger, well-built man was approaching them rapidly. He wore a tight blue-and-white striped t-shirt with cutoff sleeves, ripped jeans, and black gloves with a matching black bandana tied around his head. The tattoo on his arm was an insignia of some sort, but Ella wasn't close enough to figure out what it said…

"I was trying to wait for you outside the woods as an ambush, but you just had to take too fuckin' long! So how about you hand over the goods, Devon researcher?"

Ella was taken aback. This was really happening? It sounded like something out of a silly crime drama on television, not like something you'd hear in real life. The Devon researcher—or so she assumed—looked frightened, though, so she was going to have to do something! She stepped between them boldly; which, in hindsight, was probably the worst thing she could've done. "What the fuck is your problem, dude?" She scowled at the man who was likely a gang member and could possibly fuck her up any second.

He turned red, though, much to her satisfaction, and stepped back. "What are you gonna do, lady? Protect him?"

Ella's heart was beating fast. "I'm not standing here for no reason."

"Well—I—guess I'm just gonna have to battle you, then! I'm not showing any mercy no matter who you are!"

Oh, so he didn't want to kick her ass; he just wanted to battle her. She could do that.

She sent out Treecko in response to his Poochyena, which growled angrily as it was let loose. The two Pokemon ran at each other, each one getting a decent attack in. Poochyena Tackled Treecko to the ground, but Treecko managed to get out from underneath the bigger Pokemon and use Pound. They were obviously pretty evenly matched, though; however, Ella had one trick up her sleeve. Treecko had just learned Absorb several minutes ago, and she thought now might be a good time to try it out.

"Treecko! Let's use Absorb!"

Treecko closed its eyes and began to glow slightly. It spread out its little arms, and Poochyena began glowing, too. Small forms of light danced between them for a moment, and when it was over, Treecko was on its feet and looked ready to take on any challenge, while Poochyena looked a little worse for wear. Ella grinned. Perfect.

She fought solely with Absorb for the rest of the battle, Poochyena unable to take enough of Treecko's strength to do any damage. The dog Pokemon eventually collapsed when Treecko sapped the remainder of its strength, and Ella knew she and Treecko were victorious.

"Well…shit. I fucked that up." The man in the striped shirt took off his bandana to wipe his brow. "You'll be sorry that you messed with Team Aqua, though, lady. Luckily we're still gonna get that thing in Rustboro…but I'll fight you again as soon as I can!" He called Poochyena back and jogged off through the woods in the same direction he had come.

Ella turned her attention to the researcher, who had been off to the side biting his nails throughout that whole encounter. "Are you okay, sir?" she asked kindly.

"Now that he's gone, yes, I'm fine." He sighed. "I…thank you very much for doing that for me. You didn't have to go out of your way like that, but I'm very glad you did."

"It was no trouble." Ella shook her head. "Are you going somewhere? Can I help you get there?"

"Well, I'd better get back to Rustboro before something terrible happens with that infernal gang. We're right near the end of these woods, though, so don't worry yourself with me any longer. And…thank you again." The researcher gave Ella a slight bow and then hurried off in the same direction the Team Aqua thug had gone.

Ella sighed. Not even to her first Gym and she was already encountering trouble. At least it had been a victory. She made her way out of the forest without catching a Bug Pokemon—Treecko had proven to be reliable enough on his own.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys, thanks for the patience on this one. I'm working hard this summer trying to get some grad school app stuff done and that's wreaking havoc on my desire to write. This chapter was just what I needed to get the wind back in my sails, though, and I'm hoping to have another one up in the next week. Fingers crossed! Thanks again to Dreaming of a Skylark for a very kind and inspiring review. Please keep the comments, likes, and reviews coming! Don't be afraid to tell me what you think :) _

After taking care of her two tired Pokemon, Ella found a small inn a couple of blocks away that seemed to be specifically for housing Trainers. It was near a larger, decorated building labeled the "Pokemon Trainers' School", which was getting a decent amount of traffic even this late at night. She resolved to check it out in the morning before stopping in at the Gym, and retired to her rented room for the night.

It was difficult to get up the next morning. Ella's legs were sore from all the walking—she'd never been on her feet all day like that before. Covering so much ground was absolutely exhausting; but she knew it was just the beginning of her journey, and despite the thorough thrashing it might give her some days, there was a sense of power and accomplishment she drew from this experience that she felt confident would only intensify as the days went on and she became stronger. Thinking about what the day would bring, she hurriedly showered and dressed in one of the other clothing sets she had brought with her: a low cut burgundy half-sleeve top that draped over her slender body in a flattering way, and a pair of black cropped jeans that ended at her ankle to show off her bronze sandals. She twisted her long blonde hair up into a knot at the back of her head and made sure to look as professional as possible for her foray at the School and then at Roxanne's Gym.

The Trainers' School was small on the inside—smaller than Ella had expected. The size of the building certainly didn't dissuade its visitors, though; groups of young Trainers huddled around desks, eagerly flipping through books or talking in hushed voices about what Ella could only assume to be the Gym Leader, given the amount of times the words "she" and "Rock Pokemon" were used. She busied herself with looking at some of the posters on the walls, which described various kinds of status effects. It was all information she knew, having gone to school for so long and being the daughter of a Gym Leader and former League Champion, but she still enjoyed reading about it through new eyes. It had once been simply rote memorization for her—but now everything was real. She was living it.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

Ella turned to look at the source of the voice. A tall, older, kindly-looking man was making his way over to her. "Hello, sir."

"I haven't seen you around Rustboro before. Are you new to the area?"

"Yes. I moved here recently from Johto, actually."

"Well, you are certainly welcome here. This is the Trainers' School, and you seem to be in the right place." He gestured to the Pokeballs at her belt. "How long have you been Training?"

Ella blushed. "I—well, I've really just started."

"Then you are very much in the right place. I am the head instructor here. Do you have questions? May I help in any way?"

"I'm actually okay for right now, thank you." She smiled politely. "My father is a Trainer and has taught me since I was much younger."

"Oh? Would I know him?"

Ella hesitated. She loved her dad, but didn't want to name-drop too much. In a slightly lowered volume, she admitted, "He's…the Gym Leader of Petalburg City. Norman."

The man broke into a grin and let out a deep laugh. "You're a Rosewater! I can see it now. Absolutely, you are." He shook her hand heartily. "Honored to meet you; I'm Al. Your father is an excellent Trainer. I've watched him on television since before he was Johto's Champion!"

"Thank you, sir. I'll tell him you said so."

"Again, honored! Well, so are you following in Norman's footsteps now? Challenging Gyms and working your way to the top?"

"So far, that's my plan, yes. I'm about to go challenge Roxanne for my first badge."

"Best of luck to you. Please come back and let me know how it goes—aww, who am I kidding? Come back and let me know when you win!" He clapped her on the shoulder. "And remember to have a good time out there."

"I will, sir." She nodded to him and smiled again. "I appreciate the confidence."

And she did, of course; but a nagging feeling in the back of her mind was eating at her.

_You only inspire confidence because you're Norman's daughter._

Maybe someday she would do it on her own.

Roxanne's Gym wasn't nearly as large as Ella's father's, but the fact that she could see every obstacle in her way was slightly daunting. There were rocks and minerals in every color behind glass cases all over the building—it almost looked like a museum.

From what she could see, there were only a few other Trainers to face before she got to Roxanne. The Leader herself was at the other end of the Gym, up a short staircase. Ella gazed at her for a moment and was surprised to find herself locking eyes with the powerful young lady. She couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen, clad in a simple black and pink jumper (likely a school uniform) with her dark, thick hair in pigtails.

_When I was fourteen, I was a scene kid who played the saxophone._ _Damn._ She set off towards her opposition, not sure of what to expect.

The first Gym Trainer was a young boy of about ten who sent out a Geodude. It was no trouble at all to wipe the floor with him, which she did in less than three hits. The Rock Gym was giving her false confidence, she thought; it was so easy to blow through Trainers when her starter was a strong Grass type. The boy then produced a second Geodude which Ella and Treecko defeated in the same manner as the first. He was not at all a sore loser, which Ella was surprised by.

"I bet you'll do a good job against Roxanne!" The youngster grinned up at her. "She's got a tough Pokemon, though…but I can't tell you what it is!" A puzzled expression crossed his face suddenly, and he pointed at something behind Ella. "Huh?"

Ella turned to see Treecko looking a bit panicked. His scaly feet were emitting a soft yellow glow, and he chirped frantically, trying to shake it off of him.

"Treecko, stop! You're evolving, love." She gave her little Pokemon a delighted smile. "Don't worry."

He looked up at her curiously, and the golden light spread across his body. A flash happened suddenly, and Ella was blinded for a moment. When her vision returned, a taller Pokemon stood in front of her, leaves protruding from his arms and flanks. A single long leaf sprouted from his head and hung down his back, sort of like an overly-perky ponytail.

Grovyle emitted a lower, affectionate growling noise, and leapt into Ella's arms. She staggered back from the force of his new weight, but kissed his nose happily. "I told you everything was fine."

"That was so cool!" the youngster exclaimed. "I've never seen a Pokemon evolve before! I can't wait until it happens to my Geodudes!"

Ella, still holding her Pokemon, looked it in the eye. "Grovyle, it looks like we can choose to either fight this next Trainer here, or go right to Roxanne. What do you think? Do you need more practice?"

Grovyle chirped (or some sort of lower version of chirping, at least) and looked over at Roxanne.

"I guess you're ready!"

Roxanne was waiting for them as they reached the top of the stairs, perched atop a glass case of fossils, legs crossed, smirk present. "Welcome to my Gym, Miss Rosewater."

"How do you know who I am?" Ella was somewhat put off.

"Word travels fast around here. Plus, it's not too hard to tell. You look a lot like your father."

Ella supposed she should be flattered; Norman was a good-looking man. "Fair enough."

"I knew you'd be able to make it this far. How about showing me how you battle?" Roxanne hopped off her perch and stepped to one end of the floor. "Geodude! You're up!"

Ella faced the young Gym Leader, more nervous than she let on. "Tree—er, Grovyle, let's go! Use Absorb!"

Roxanne's Geodude fell in a way not unlike the previous two Grovyle had defeated. It was quick and easy, but Ella knew the hard part was about to begin. The Leader next sent out a Pokemon Ella had never seen before. It was a large, conic mass of rock with a very humanlike-shaped nose that took up the majority of its face. It looked very silly, actually, and Ella had to stifle a giggle as she took it in visually. The humor didn't last long, though, as the Nosepass used Rock Tomb immediately, catching Grovyle by surprise. Absorb was still effective as a retaliation, but this new opposition was a tank! Luckily, it was a relatively uneventful battle and Grovyle was only slightly winded after knocking Nosepass down several times.

Roxanne recalled her fainted Pokemon with nothing more than a raised eyebrow. "Well done. It seems I still have a lot to learn as a student Trainer…"

"You're so accomplished already, though!" Ella recalled Grovyle after giving him a loving scratch on the head. "You must be so proud of yourself."

The girl shook her head. "I am pleased with where I am now, but it will never be enough. I have to keep studying and making progress…otherwise I won't be able to grow."

"I guess that's true, but you give beginning Trainers such good experience, even when they're a lot older, like me." Ella smiled at the younger girl. "There's something to be said for that."

"And there is something to be said for this, as well." Roxanne held out her hand to Ella. In her palm was a small Badge, colored red and gold. "The Stone Badge."

Ella took it. "Thank you, Roxanne."

"Thank you for teaching me."

Ella left the Gym with a new sense of resolve. Yes, the victory had felt great, but it wasn't about the winning. It was about the experience of the battle and applying all the knowledge learned thus far. Her journey wasn't going to be the same as anyone else's, including her father's. Her knowledge and experiences were different, and they'd teach her different things.

She stopped in at the School to tell Al of her victory. He congratulated her, and there was a glint in his eye as he told her to "never shirk from a learning moment".

At this point, she didn't think she would ever fail to heed that advice.


	6. Chapter 6

_Long chapter this time. Had to get a lot of information in! As always, thanks for reading :) I'm hoping to fit in a little bit more of Ella's past and inner dialogue in the next couple of chapters. I don't want her to seem boring or too simple, and I haven't talked much about her romantic inclinations because of all the story stuff I've needed to establish, but that's coming! Also, I'm planning on introducing Steven in ch. 7...so get ready ;)_

Ella's high spirits were shaken slightly by the sight of a familiar man outside of the Trainers' School. It was the Devon Researcher from Petalburg Woods, now looking absolutely crestfallen compared to the nervous panic he'd been in yesterday.

"Sir?" She approached him hesitantly, not wanting to upset him further. "Sir, are you alright?"

He glanced up, and mild relief shone on his face. "You're the young lady from yesterday in the forest…"

"Yes, that's me. Ella. Can I help you with something again?"

"Ella, I hate to trouble you, but Team Aqua has robbed me of some important goods from Devon, and I can't even hope to catch up with the fellow that robbed me, let alone get the package back. I need someone to help me before word gets back to Mr. Stone that I've—" he gulped nervously, his eyes darting back and forth—"failed at such a simple task…"

_Dammit. Do I even have much more of a chance than him, really? _She had to at least try…this poor man was entirely out of his element. "I'll go after him and see what I can do, sir."

"Thank you, thank you!" The researcher was overjoyed, clearly very confident in Ella's ability to succeed based on the courage she'd shown in their last encounter. "He looked like he was going towards Rusturf Tunnel. In the meantime, I will be here…"

Ella touched his arm reassuringly. "I hope I'll be back soon."

She made her way to the other side of the pretty city quickly, knowing that she likely had a limited amount of time to achieve this goal she'd set out with. It was with some regret that she passed by the northern exit leading to what looked to be a beautiful coastline; she resolved to come back soon and have a walk there when she didn't have a troublesome goon to chase after. The exit she instead left from appeared to lead to a less lovely scenario—another heavily wooded area with several Bug Catchers and some younger kids wandering around in the tall grass.

_What a shitty day to wear these sandals._ Ella sighed to herself and approached the greenery, anticipating many bug bites around her ankles and bracing herself for the inevitable challenges that the meandering Trainers would throw at her.

The children turned out to be students at the School in Rustboro, and were very impressed once they noticed Ella's Stone Badge pinned to her bag strap. It was actually surprising to Ella the more she thought about it—some people would Train their whole lives and not get terribly far, whereas she had been Training only a few days and already had her first Badge. Was that at all a realistic scenario? She supposed that many Trainers were forced to stay in one place because of whatever family situation they were in, but there had to be a good number of Trainers that made it much farther than she. She thought about Roxanne—how many people defeated her in battle every day? And how many of those people would she herself end up facing as she continued along her Pokemon journey? It was a lot to consider. Maybe Norman would know more. Meanwhile, she was as encouraging as possible to the students she encountered on her way to the Tunnel. They all seemed eager to follow in someone else's footsteps, whether it was Roxanne, one of the Elite Four, or even one of their parents. It was heartening. This was so different from the world of academia that she'd come from; the rewards and benefits here were so tangible and such a wonderful experience.

This length of time spent in the forested area, though—not quite so wonderful. Taillow was well-equipped to be successful with the Bug Trainers, but Grovyle wasn't so much. Her Grass Pokemon struggled to stay on top of things when surrounded by flying, buzzing creatures, and didn't do as much damage to its opponents. Ella did her best to keep up the encouragement, though, even when she had to use a couple of Potions to keep her Pokemon healthy.

After a battle with a man clad in hiking gear, the tall grass finally came to an end. As predicted, Ella had at least two bug bites—she was thankful to be wearing long pants. There was a small house in this clearing with the door open, and when she approached it was clear that it was housing construction workers. Power tools and larger construction equipment lay outside of the house in the grass or on wooden tables. The opening to the Tunnel had been dug into an enormous rocky mountain formation directly opposite Ella, and as she made her way across the clearing towards it, a voice came from the workers' respite.

"Hey! Lady!"

Ella spun around to see a red-faced worker running towards her.

"There's some dick in there up to no good! We were digging this tunnel to Verdanturf, and he showed up and started yellin'…"

Well, that sounded like the man she was looking for. "I think that's the guy I'm chasing after."

The worker looked surprised. "Oh! Uh…I'm sorry I said he was a dick, but I'm pretty sure you could do better, ma'am."

Ella blushed. "No! That's not what I meant. Sorry. I just meant I was looking for him. He…has something that I need."

"Well, he ran into that tunnel and ordered me out. We've been diggin' without tools because we didn't want to disturb the Pokemon that live inside…I'm worried he's going to scare all the Pokemon in there, but I don't know what to do!"

Ella put her hands on her hips. "You're right, he is actually a dick. I'm going in there to stop him, and I hope I can make it out without disturbing the Pokemon."

"Do you need backup, lady?"

"No, don't worry about it. I don't want to make more of a fuss than necessary! I'll be out soon." What was it with her and her rash decisions lately? Not that it was uncharacteristic of her to be impulsive, but she was certainly throwing herself into a lot more danger these days.

"Alright, ma'am. Just…give us a holler if you need somethin', got it?" He gave her a nod, and moved back towards the house.

"Will do."

Ella approached the opening to the tunnel only to see a vaguely familiar face next to it. She'd seen the man before…but she couldn't quite place him…

"Peeko? Peeko, darling?" he called into the dark tunnel, not looking at Ella. "Come back to me!"

That was it! The little boy at the beach yesterday had pointed him out; he was the man with the boat! "Sir?"

He finally looked her way, visibly distraught. "My Peeko has been taken by some scoundrel!"

"What happened?"

"We were on a walk, and suddenly that man came by and stole my Pokemon!"

Another thing to do…it seemed like Ella had come to the right place at the right time. "I'm going in there now…I'll see if I can find your Pokemon, Mr. Briney." She silently prayed she'd gotten the name right.

He thanked her profusely, and she ducked into the tunnel opening. It was cold and dark inside, but not too dark to see anything. In fact—she spotted a familiar striped shirt several yards down in one direction, accompanied by a Wingull she'd seen before. Evidently the workers hadn't managed to dig this passage very far yet. She coughed loudly to alert the thug of her presence.

"Oh, fuck it all!" He swore loudly upon realizing he was trapped literally between the enormous rock wall behind him and the girl who had defeated his comrade the day before. "I cannot believe that I took this goddamn hostage Pokemon into a tunnel to motherfuckin' nowhere! And now you're here to battle me—this is the worst job, honestly…"

They battled then, the Aqua thug enraged and hurling curses in her direction, but to no avail. Taillow defeated Poochyena without any difficulty, flitting around the cave ceiling and dive-bombing the opponent's Pokemon when he was least expecting it.

"I was told this would be an easy job! Just steal some shit from Devon, that's all! But fine, I'll get my ass kicked by a goddamn girl instead. Take the fuckin' parts. I don't want 'em." He dug into his pockets and pulled out a small package, thrusting it into Ella's hands as he stomped past. "Fuckin' idiotic piece of shit boss…"

Slightly bewildered at how easy that exchange had been, Ella followed the grunt out of the cave, Mr. Briney's Wingull trailing behind her. The Aqua thug took off back through the tall grass as soon as he could, and it seemed fruitless to chase after him.

Mr. Briney was a welcome sight when reunited with his Pokemon, nuzzling it lovingly with his balding head. "You saved her. I can't thank you enough…" he trailed off, puzzled—

"Ella," Ella volunteered. "My name's Ella."

"Miss Ella. Thank you. And Peeko thanks you, too." The Pokemon chirped loudly from where it sat on Mr. Briney's shoulder. "I live outside of Petalburg, and I've got a boat I travel on to get to Dewford Town across the water. In thanks, I'd like to offer you free rides to and from the town when you need it!" His smile was sweet and genuine.

"That would be wonderful, Mr. Briney. I'm sure I will take you up on that offer soon." The next Gym was in Dewford, anyway. How convenient.

Ella arrived back in Rustboro as the sun was setting. It had indeed been a lovely day, but she'd spent so much of it wandering in less-than-pleasant settings. Maybe when Mr. Briney ferried her over the water she'd be able to really appreciate the weather.

"Ella! You've returned!" The Devon Researcher was delighted at her arrival. "I take it you've been successful?"

"I have, yes." She pulled the small package out of her bag and handed it to the tall man proudly. "Keep these safe, would you?"

His face fell slightly. "Well, actually…I don't really trust myself to do that anymore. I feel terrible for asking you to do this, but I'd really appreciate it if you would take these to Mr. Stone at Devon yourself."

"Me?" Ella was incredulous.

"Yes, you. You'll be a welcome sight, and I know you can handle yourself if anything happens."

So, naturally, because of her unfailing desire to help and her absolute inability to say no to someone in need (or something like that), Ella found herself at the front desk on the bottom floor of the picturesque Devon building.

"Welcome to Devon. May I help you?" The receptionist was a statuesque, buxom blonde.

"Uh…I'm here to see Mr. Stone." Ella tried not to sound nervous, but her words came out a bit quieter than she hoped. She tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear, sure that she was a sight for sore eyes at this point, having been outside all day.

The receptionist narrowed her eyes. "Oh, ARE you? I'm afraid Mr. Stone is not taking any more appointments today." She looked Ella up and down and then fixed her with a cold stare.

"I've…got a delivery?" Ella offered, holding up the package she was carrying. She wondered why this woman was being so unpleasant—and then—

"Amelia? What's going on, m'dear?" The voice came from the elevator. Both ladies turned to see a burly, grey-haired man wearing a very expensive three-piece suit and carrying a briefcase, and the receptionist—Amelia—immediately rushed to his side.

"Mr. Stone! It seems…you have a visitor." She motioned to Ella, the disdain obvious in her voice.

The President of Devon smiled welcomingly at Ella, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "What can I do for you, missy? I'm about to take off for the day, but I've got a minute."

"I just came to deliver this package, sir." Concentrating hard on stopping her knees from shaking, Ella crossed the room and handed the Devon parts to Mr. Stone. No big deal. He was just the president of one of the region's most influential corporations.

"Oh…these are the parts I was expecting." He brought the package closer to his face to examine the label, then looked back at Ella curiously. "How did you come to have these in your possession? Not that I'm complaining about the messenger, of course!" He gave a hearty chuckle.

The answer to his question, however, came not from the subject of conversation herself, but from behind her near the front doors. "It was my fault, sir."

The unfortunate researcher was coming towards them. Ella was surprised; she hadn't expected him to reappear. Hadn't he seemed too nervous to admit his shortcomings to the boss?

"This young lady rescued me from an unruly Team Aqua fellow yesterday in the woods, and then recovered this parcel for me when another stole it today. She's the reason we still have the situation under control, and I am in her debt." He looked very sheepish. "I apologize for my poor handling of things."

Ella was speechless.

"Well…ah…" Mr. Stone seemed to be suffering from a lack of words as well. He looked back and forth between Ella and the researcher several times, swallowed, and resumed his original grin. "No matter, Dr. Edmonds. Clearly you have, well…put your trust in the right people. Perhaps we need not send you out alone any longer, though, as this Team Aqua situation seems to be getting worse!"

"I would very much appreciate that, sir." The researcher was relieved.

"And as for you…" Mr. Stone turned to Ella. "You have done us a great service. I thank you!" He extended his large right hand to her, and she shook it. His grip was powerful. "We need more capable Trainers like you around. In fact…" He thought for a moment. "I'd like to ask a favor of you."

Of course. Ella sighed inwardly. But, for such a powerful ally and evidently kind man, she was likely not going to say no. "What can I do for you?"

"I'd like you to deliver these goods to the shipyard in Slateport City. As a Trainer, you are going that direction anyway, I assume, and obviously you are a very reliable person to keep these with." He handed the package back to her, and laughed again. "I know you'll be able to take care of us."

"I can do that, sir." She sounded more confident than she felt, but it was a logical next stop for her.

"And…" Mr. Stone grinned at her. "Part two of the favor is to deliver a letter to my son on your way. He's in Dewford Town right now, and you'll have to stop at the port there anyway before you get to Slateport." He winked heartily. "He's about your age, I think. Hasn't had a lady friend in some months."

Ella raised her eyebrows so high she could've sworn they were literally off her face at that point. "OH. Um…" She stole a look at Amelia, who looked incredibly relieved. _Oh my god, she was worried that I was a guest of Mr. Stone, wasn't she?_ "I…can deliver that letter, too, sir."

Mr. Stone pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit. "Here's that, then." Still smiling hugely, he clapped her on the shoulder. "Thank you again. You're always welcome here whenever you're in town, Miss…?"

"Ella Rosewater."

"A Rosewater, eh?" Another laugh. "You've got your dad's spirit, little lady."

"Thank you, I appreciate that!" She smiled warmly, not minding that kind of connection with her father. "I'll make sure to check in with you after I've gotten things delivered."

Mr. Stone put an arm around Amelia (who was suddenly much warmer to Ella—what a shock) and said his thanks to Ella about three more times before sending her on her way. He was such a kind man, and had given her a PokeNav as a parting gift: a handy device with information on her own Pokemon as well as traveling information about the region. It had no information about the son he'd mentioned, though…what a daring hint he'd made! She remembered back to her conversation with Brendan about not being ready to date anyone yet, and still felt that it was probably the truth. Although, honestly, she wouldn't mind a fling…The only people she'd met so far on her travels were too young or too old to even consider in that way, but goddamn it, it had been awhile since her last tryst.

_Not to be cliché, but I HAVE NEEDS._

It was times like these that Ella missed Jamie. Her ex had been passionate and strong, although not always for the right reasons. He'd choose other things over her often, but when he was around, she'd always felt safe.

She wouldn't mind something familiar and safe right now, even though knew she was doing just fine.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey all! Thanks for waiting around for this one. School started again, as is often the case in late August, so my last year of undergrad is now underway and it was a busy first week. Hopefully this chapter is to your liking; it's a bit of an abrupt change from the last several. *cough* SMUT *cough* It was a lot of fun to write and I hope you like it! Feel free to leave reviews/criticism as always, I love feedback!_

Mr. Briney was a delightful traveling companion for their trip across the water the next morning. He sang songs loudly and gleefully as they leapt through the waves in his small but speedy boat, Peeko cawing along with him when he arrived at an especially loud chorus.

Ella stood on the front deck of the boat, gazing out at the water. It was another glorious day. There were absolutely no clouds to be seen, and the sun shone upon the tops of the Tentacool she could see pop above the water every once in awhile. She wondered how deep the water was, and was amazed to see all of the swimmers out with their Pokemon. How were they so comfortable with the swimming Pokemon touching their legs under the water…? She shook the thought off with a shudder. Deep water frightened her more than a little bit. Once she got a Pokemon that knew Surf, though—that would be fun. She'd just have to not fall off.

Dewford Town was very small, though still larger than Littleroot by a moderate amount. The Gym was obvious above the roofs of the smaller buildings, and just past the edge of town lay a great rocky cave. Most of the ground was coarse sand and there was a good deal of seaweed on the shore. It wasn't a great beach to relax on, but appeared to be an excellent shoreline for fishing and for shell collectors. The other striking part of the town was its people, milling about and talking excitedly outside. As Ella wandered through, she noticed that most of the citizens were speaking about the same thing: "Large Berry". Was it a band? That was her first thought. Maybe they were in town nearby? There were people with Large Berry t-shirts, Large Berry buttons…even a rather tipsy man who declared to all who would listen that he had a Large Berry tattoo on his left ass-cheek. (Interestingly, he declined to show it to those who inquired further.) Ella couldn't figure out exactly what this fad was, no matter how many conversations she overheard—but no matter, maybe she'd discover it in the next place she went.

It was also unclear to her exactly where she would find Mr. Stone's son Steven. She checked in some of the public buildings, but there was no sign of anyone except eager Large Berry fans. Somehow, she didn't think Steven would be one of them. Finally, an inquiry at the Pokemon Center led her to the cave at the edge of town.

It was dark inside, but not impossible to see. There was a nice man who advised her to use Flash if caves got any darker, and she said she would keep that in mind. There wasn't a whole lot of the place to explore; narrow tunnels led her in a single path to end at a larger chamber where she finally located Steven.

He was tall and slender, it would seem, underneath the dark suit he wore. Why he was wearing such clothing to explore a cave was beyond her—honestly, that suit looked outrageously expensive, and if he was truly Mr. Stone's son, she was certain it was—but he stood poised with his back to her as he studied the markings on the cave wall carefully. His silvery hair was unruly, but it was the kind of careful unruly that was clearly planned out beforehand. He was perhaps twenty-five? Twenty-six?

She moved closer to him slowly, not wanting to disturb his thought process as he studied his surroundings.

"Their primal forms really held this much power at one point…?" His voice was soft as he mused to himself, and he stroked his slightly stubbled chin pensively. "What terrible strength they showed…" A shift in posture. "Perhaps I will not find my answers today."

Ella took a deep breath. "Pardon me, are you Steven?"

The man turned around and blinked at her from behind silver-rimmed glasses, his eyes full of wisdom beyond his obvious young age. He was strikingly handsome and dignified, and the resemblance to his father was clear.

Essentially, he was one of the most attractive men she'd seen in awhile.

"I am. Who might you be?"

"I'm Ella Rosewater." She offered the beautiful man her hand to shake.

If her surname was at all familiar to Steven, he made no indication of recognition. "It's a pleasure, Ella." He shook her hand formally, with a polite smile.

"Likewise, Steven." She held onto his hand for ever-so-slightly too long before letting go. Ohhhhh, she was thirsty.

"I often travel the region in search of historical knowledge and discovery, Ella, but I have a feeling that something else brings you to me today." He folded his arms across his chest. "What would that be?"

_Well your dad said we should date and although I don't want to date anyone right now you're pretty hot and we should definitely screw around for fun _was what she WANTED to say, but she held it in, feeling utterly searched by his eyes—not a bad feeling at all, even though she knew he didn't mean it in a flirtatious or invasive way. Clearly it was just something he _did_.

"I have a letter for you. From your father." Ella reached into her purse and pulled the envelope out, pleased that it hadn't been damaged en route. "I met him while I was in Rustboro."

Steven took it from her, somewhat surprised. "Oh. From my father?" He looked at the outside of the envelope briefly—it had only his first name written on it in elegant script—and placed it inside of his suit jacket. "I suppose I should probably thank you for bringing it all this way. It can't have been that simple of a journey, coming all this way from Rustboro." He began to rummage around in the bag that he carried with him.

_Time to turn on the charm_. "No trouble at all." Ella smiled her loveliest smile. "And I got to meet you at the end, so I can't say I'm disappointed."

He looked up and raised an eyebrow at her forwardness, but didn't seem to be swayed. Rather than responding, he pulled a device out of his bag and handed it to her. "Ahem. I'd like to give you something…This is my favorite move for Pokemon, called Steel Wing. You're obviously a Trainer, and you could use it well, I'm sure."

Ella's cheeks reddened. "I—thank you. That's very kind."

Steven nodded at her. "Of course." He looked over his shoulder at the cave wall again. "While you're here…would you mind answering another question for me?"

She bit her lower lip thoughtfully/sexily, careful to keep eye contact. That ALWAYS worked. "Anything, Steven."

"What goes through your head when you look at the images on this wall?" He turned away from her again, looking skyward (or at least cave-ceilingsward).

She took a few steps forward, standing to his right. The picture they stood in front of was of an enormous Pokemon. Fear and destruction seemed to surround it in the form of water elements: tidal waves and rainstorms and cyclones, no hope in sight. This was a loaded question coming from Steven; was she supposed to impress him with her history knowledge? "I…" Thoughts raced through her mind.

The taller man looked down at her next to him, patiently waiting for her response.

A long silence endured before she finally said something. "I just think…the world has really changed." A tear sprang to her eye unexpectedly; she wiped it away.

The world _had_ changed. She wasn't just talking about history. Her own world had changed, taking her from young academic to hands-on Trainer. She saw a different future for herself now; a different future than she'd seen in Johto with Jamie and research and whatever the fuck else she'd painted in her mind next to her made-up house with a white picket fence. Not knowing what was next was unfamiliar; it was intimidating. Ella had never been one to be intimidated before.

She shook it off, hoping Steven couldn't see her heavy introspection, and spoke again. "The world has changed in every sense, and we can only control or guide so much of it as we live."

There was another long silence.

"There is fear in this image on the wall. This Legendary Pokemon caused destruction worse than humanity has ever seen before—and you're right, Ella. We couldn't control it. Perhaps there were things we could have done differently, but what's done is done. However, the feelings of hopelessness we saw then are still evident in this image…" He sighed. "Humanity has changed."

They stood together quietly, viewing the scene on the wall in front of them.

"I think," Steven began, "you'll be a great Trainer."

"What?" Ella was thrown off by the sudden change in subject.

"Keep working and understanding, and I think that you could go very, very far. You could even become the League Champion."

She was absolutely stunned. "I—thank you—my father was Champion, but…"

"Your father doesn't factor into this." He was looking directly at her. "This is about you, not your name." His face was hard as stone.

"…Steven. Thank you."

He waved away her thanks. "No need. I wish you luck."

"Thank you. That's very kind." Tears threatened to fill her eyes again, but she blinked them back.

"I must be going, now." He shook her hand briefly once more, and began walking towards the entrance to the chamber.

"I hope I see you again!" were the words she called after him.

Steven stopped in his tracks, but did not say anything. Another silence filled the room, and Ella, cheeks burning, turned back towards the drawing on the wall.

"Ah…Ella?"

She cringed slightly. Had she gone too far with her flirtations? She wasn't out of practice or anything, but it was entirely possible that he wasn't at all interested. "Yes, Steven?"

He was very close to her suddenly, and she felt the color rise to her cheeks in a brief moment of vulnerability. "If I'm reading you correctly…"

Ella felt a hand on her hip, gently.

"…I'm fairly certain you may currently be interested in more than just a history lesson and pep talk." She felt his breath hot against her neck and suddenly she was also very hot in certain other areas. "Is this correct?"

It definitely was, and it also seemed as though he was interested in reciprocating.

Jackpot.

"I might be, yeah. Would you be—"

He spun her around to face him, and she noticed he'd taken his glasses off, his eyebrows raised to accentuate the very slight smirk he wore—

"—interested in _giving_ me more than that?" She was nearly unable to breathe, but was working incredibly hard to maintain a calm and collected façade.

Steven leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "I find it difficult to say no to the pretty girl who walked into Granite Cave and listened to me prattle on about the past for so long." He gripped her hips in both hands, and goosebumps spread down Ella's arms. "I don't think we'll be bothered here for a little while."

In response, Ella wound her arms around his neck enthusiastically and brought his lips down to meet hers. He chuckled as he kissed her back, lazy but hungry, his hands moving from her hips to her waist underneath her shirt and caressing the skin he found there. He was talented with his tongue, _though it's not as if I expected anything less_, she thought as she bit the lower lip of the tall academic, causing him to reciprocate with a low growl. _Fuck._

Ella let him back her into the wall, grabbing handfuls of his shirt underneath his immaculately tailored suit jacket. How she had landed this gig was a mystery, but—oh, his mouth was on her neck now and she wasn't complaining. She tangled her hands in his hair and let him suck at her soft skin, not hard enough to leave marks—he was too polite for that—but intently enough to elicit multiple surprised gasps from her.

Steven's hands moved their way upwards beneath the fabric of her shirt to grasp both her breasts and squeeze hard, and the resulting hungry moan of approval he made against her neck made her grin as he kneaded them eagerly. He kept his hands there as he kissed her mouth again and brought his knee in between her thighs to lean against the cave wall.

Ella pushed his jacket off of his broad shoulders and he removed it the rest of the way, letting the expensive material fall to the ground without a second thought. Her next stop was lower on his body, moving closer to the obvious hardness in his pants—

Suddenly and swiftly he took both her wrists in one of his long-fingered hands and swept them up above her head, pinning them to the wall. Ella made a noise of surprise and Steven pulled back from her, meeting her eyes. "You good?"

She nodded breathlessly, and he grinned and kissed her again. His other hand was fumbling with the fastenings on her pants, which came undone within seconds—she was surprised he was able to do that one-handed—and his fingers lingered at the waistband of her lacy panties before moving underneath.

Ella felt Steven smile once more against her lips as his warm fingertips touched her wet sex. She drew a sharp breath, feeling the pressure there that she so loved and hadn't had lately, and couldn't help but moan softly as this near-stranger touched her as if he'd known her for much longer. He stroked her slit again and again with varying speeds, careful to surprise her just as she least expected it, and continued to kiss her fervently, biting and sucking at her lips and occasionally her tongue. After a moment, he slipped two fingers inside of her, crisscrossing and scissoring them while keeping his thumb on her swollen clit to create one of the most intense slow builds Ella could remember having.

Maybe part of it was the environment, but her Pokemon journey was certainly turning out to be enjoyable, far beyond what she had expected—

"Mmm—fuck!" Ella's eyes opened wide as her whole body tensed and released, coming violently against Steven's hand, his mouth again on her neck. "Fuck…me."

Steven kissed her on the cheek, released her wrists, and pulled away again, laughing. "It's against my morals to sleep with anyone within an hour of meeting them for the first time. Seems a little shallow."

She blushed—if it was even possible to get any more flushed than she already was from their activities—and tucked a couple of loose strands of hair behind her ears. "That's not what I meant!"

"I know." He met her eyes, smirked, and sucked her excess off of his fingers (she lost track of coherent thoughts in that moment). "Satisfactory?"

Ella stared for a few seconds, then responded by swiftly spinning the two of them around and pushing Steven against the wall instead, kissing him fiercely.

"Ah, so…yes?"

Wordlessly, she unfastened his belt and pants and pulled out his rock-hard (or should I say "stone-hard"—sorry) cock. He said nothing more, but raised an eyebrow at her. Keeping eye contact, she knelt in front of him and took him fully in her mouth. The low hiss she heard in response was all the affirmation she needed that it was the correct move.

He was larger than average, as she had expected, but not enormous to the point of discomfort. Although, even if he had been, she still would have happily done the same thing. She wanted to impress this man desperately—and by the sounds he was making as she swirled his length around with her tongue, she was succeeding.

It hadn't even been five minutes of satisfied grunts and Steven's hands in her long hair before he was on the verge of climax. His fists tightened, pulling sharply at the blonde fistfuls he was holding. "Ella. I'm going to come."

She hummed encouragingly around his cock, letting him know she wasn't pulling away, and swallowed as he let his breath out slowly.

He swore softly. "Alright."

Ella stood again, grinned, and cleared her throat. "Satisfactory?"

"Quite."

Steven took a moment to catch his breath, leaning up against the cave wall. The two of them reassembled their clothing in silence, eager to slow their racing heartbeats.

"That was fun," Ella finally managed when they had put themselves back together.

Her tryst partner laughed. "Yes. Fun is the word."

She knew she had to assure him that there were no strings attached, but was somewhat unsure how to do it. "I, ah…"

He cocked his head at her questioningly, the smile fading.

"This was a one-time thing, of course." The words coming out of her mouth sounded harsher than they did in her mind, but she did not. want. to start something.

His face was unreadable. "Of course it was. No need for concern."

"I just don't want to get involved with anyone right now." It was hard to meet his eyes, but she forced her gaze up anyway.

"There's no reason to explain." He had resumed the business-like demeanor of before, his arms folded in front of him. "I had assumed that was the situation."

"Well…good." Ella wasn't sure how to proceed from here. "I'm glad."

Steven cleared his throat. "It's been a pleasure, Ella. Thank you for spending time with me today." He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. "Perhaps we'll run into each other again."

She closed her eyes briefly. "Perhaps we will."

"I wish you the best."

He was the first one to walk away, out of the cave, leaving Ella to reflect.

She had been eagerly awaiting an encounter like that, but hadn't expected to like him so goddamn much.

Her thoughts were racing as she too left the cave.


	8. Chapter 8

_Ella woke that day to see the other half of Jamie's bed empty. She sleepily rubbed her eyes and sighed. It wasn't the first time he'd left her alone in the morning, and it wouldn't be the last; but still she wished that sometimes he would stay to wish her goodbye before she left for classes. He was probably at the local dojo—he wasn't one of those martial arts-obsessed Fighting-type Trainers, but his well-rounded regimen included a couple of sparring rounds a week with his faster, more high-level Pokemon._

_There was about an hour and a half until she had to be back at school for her first class (a grad-level abnormal psych seminar that she was sitting in on as part of an independent study), so she had some time to kill. She shuffled into her boyfriend's small kitchen to find a hastily scrawled note on the counter: "Leftover pizza in the fridge. Took all the coffee but you can make more—in freezer. –J"_

_No "love, Jamie". No "have a good day". Ella ran a hand through her messy bed-hair, chewing at the inside of her lip thoughtfully. Jamie had been gone so much lately, and they hadn't been on a date in a couple of months. Their relationship was mostly just short evenings before they had sex and fell asleep—and the sex wasn't even a constant anymore; too often were they just too tired to bother with it after their respective long days. It was a lonely partnership, but they'd been together for over a year…and honestly, they were both talented and charismatic people. It was just so difficult to keep priorities straight sometimes._

_Ella made more coffee and ate a cold piece of pizza in silence before having a shower and heading out for the day. She knew she'd be back later to rinse and repeat._

"Hey, Ella?" Brawly, the Dewford Gym Leader, snapped his fingers a couple of times in her direction. "Snap out of it! You just kicked my ass, girl."

A tired Grovyle pulled on the hem of its Trainer's shirt and gave a satisfied growl, pointing at the newly evolved Swellow in front of them and earning a dazed pat from Ella.

She blinked a couple of times. Sometimes, back in Johto, she would be walking to school or home or something and end up at the destination after forgetting the journey because she'd been so lost in thought. She didn't realize it could apply to battling, too. Maybe she was just getting complacent. "Oh, I'm sorry. Zoned out for a second."

"All good, man. That was a killer battle, and congrats to your new Swellow on its evolution."

"Absolutely. Thanks." She brought herself back to reality with a deep breath and an eager smile. Swellow hopped over to look up at her curiously, and she knelt to nuzzle the Flying-type against her cheek warmly.

Brawly's Gym was full of pristine fitness equipment and windows that looked out upon the Dewford shoreline, and the late afternoon sun shone brightly into the room, making Ella squint at Brawly as she straightened up again.

"Lemme get your Muscle Badge for you." The Leader made his way to a small table on the other side of the circular room on which rested a wooden box. He pulled a tiny Badge from the collection inside and crossed the room again to hand it to his dazed opponent. "Here you go. You earned this."

His Machop (which had been knocked out hard by Grovyle five minutes earlier and was now lying exhausted on the floor) growled weakly but cheerfully in agreement, flashing a thumbs-up. Brawly smiled and tossed it a Pokeblock.

"Thanks, Brawly." Ella shook his hand. He had a firm and solid handshake that commanded respect.

"No problem, Ella. Keep Training. You've got some real talent and a great bond with your Pokemon."

She left the Gym still deep in thought, passing several Large Berry fans to whom she paid no mind, no matter how many merchandise items they tried to offer her. The early day's experience with the tall silver-haired near-stranger was at the forefront of her mind, interspersed with flashbacks to her past life in Johto. She wasn't sure what any of it meant, or even if it was supposed to mean anything at all.

"Hey there, miss. You got an itch to fish?"

That question startled her out of her reverie. She looked to her left to see a man completely decked out in fishing gear, his arms folded and a big grin on his face.

"I'm sorry?"

"Are you gettin' the itch to fish? Just say yes or no."

"Yes?" Why she said that was completely unknown to her, but apparently it was the correct answer, as it caused the man to plant his hands on his hips and give a hearty laugh.

"Hah, I knew it! I knew you looked like you could do with some sport!" He reached down to the ground next to him and pulled up an old, battered-looking fishing rod. "Take this; I just got a new one."

Ella blushed. "Oh, no, I couldn't—"

"I insist!" He thrust the rod at her. "I've been waiting for someone to give this to all day."

She hesitantly took it. "Well, if you'd really like me to have it…thank you." Wondering where she'd store it, she waved goodbye to the man and continued heading towards the pier where Mr. Briney's boat was.

"Give it a try on the pier!" he yelled after her.

She obliged him, albeit feeling rather silly, having only fished once or twice as a child. There was no pull for a couple of minutes, but just as she was about to give up, the tip of her rod was yanked down towards the surface of the water. After struggling for a short time, she successfully pulled up a large red Magikarp. It looked at her with its enormous bug-eyes and flailed around on the line helplessly.

"Looks like you roped yourself a live one, Ella!" Mr. Briney came up beside her on the pier, Peeko in tow, and clapped her on the shoulder. "Are you gonna keep it?"

Ella wasn't sure. She knew Magikarp was a relatively useless Pokemon, but she also knew that when it evolved into a Gyarados it would be exactly the kind of Water-type Pokemon she wanted.

And, honestly—what better time to start? She only had two Pokemon at the moment, and when she was finally able to Surf, she would want to as soon as possible. "Yeah, I think I am."

Mr. Briney, helpful man that he was, fished a Pokeball out of his pocket and handed it to Ella. "This one's on me."

Ella caught the Magikarp without any trouble—it wasn't like it had any offensive or defensive moves to use anyway—and the old man next to her applauded graciously.

"Well done!"

She clipped the Ball onto her belt with her other two. "Thanks." Even currently useless Pokemon provided a little thrill to catch.

"Ready to go to Slateport?"

"I think so, yes. Are you?"

Mr. Briney chuckled mirthfully and Peeko chirped right along with him, flapping up to land on his shoulder. "Looks like we both are!"

The trip to Slateport was equally as beautiful as the trip to Dewford. The most eye-catching sight, in Ella's opinion, was the old half-sunken ship they passed about halfway through the journey. Mr. Briney explained that it was a tourist attraction for those who could reach it, but that few people ever took the time to explore the wreckage. Ella thought it might be terrifying, but she mentally added it to her Hoenn bucket list. History could be pretty cool sometimes—here she thought of Steven Stone again, but shook it off.

They arrived on a picturesque sandy beach to the south of Slateport, where young children played together in inner tubes and with cute Water-type Pokemon, building sand castles and burying each other (and their Pokemon) in the sand. Ella battled with a couple of them before reaching the city's gate, and Grovyle fought like a champ. She thanked her lucky stars that she'd started with a Grass-type Pokemon—it was really helping her out in a lot of situations.

Slateport was the loveliest and largest city she'd been to yet. The late afternoon air smelled like the sea and the roads were beautifully kept, made up of all sorts of stone patterns. There was a quaint marketplace to the left of the entrance that sold decorations and battle aids. Everyone seemed friendly and happy here, and looking at the town as a whole gave Ella a good idea as to why that was.

She found the Shipyard by following a couple of signs, but once inside, she realized she had no idea whom to deliver the Devon package to. A kind man on the first floor advised her to see Captain Stern, but let her know that he was not currently in the building and was instead at the Oceanic Museum for the afternoon.

Naturally, it was impossible for people to just be in the goddamn place she expected them to be. Luckily, the Museum was right next door to the Shipyard. It cost a small fee to enter, and once Ella was in she was taken aback by how many members of Team Aqua were all just milling about the bottom floor. In fact, they were the only people she could see here, and she wondered just how much more searching she'd have to do before she got to Capt. Stern. None of the Aqua members tried to antagonize her when they saw her, so she hoped that there wouldn't be any conflict as she made her way upstairs.

There was almost no one on the upper floor, save for a well-dressed gentleman in the corner who seemed to be enamored with one of the exhibits.

"Pardon me, sir?" Ella made a beeline for him, fearing that there might be trouble at any moment based on the number of goons in the Museum already.

He looked up. "Yes, young lady?"

"I'm looking for Capt. Stern. Is that you?"

He cleared his throat. "Why, yes. That's me. What can I do for you?"

Before Ella could respond, she heard shouting from the stairs.

"Hey! You wait a second—we'll be taking those parts!" Two Aqua members ran up to where they were standing and glared menacingly at both Ella and Capt. Stern. The one on the right stepped forward. "Hand 'em over!"

Ella sighed heavily. "No, I'm not going to. Last time you tried to pull this shit, it didn't work, so what makes you think you're going to be successful this time?" Honestly, this was getting tiring. These people just didn't let up. She looked back at Stern, who was clearly shocked, but wearily so. "I'll take care of this."

He nodded and waved his approval, shaking his head. "Go ahead. Thank you."

The red-faced grunt sputtered something unintelligible before sending out his Pokemon: a red and blue Water-type called Carvanha. Grovyle defeated it easily, though it left jaw-marks in his arm from the hold it gained early in the battle. The battle against the other grunt and his Carvanha and Zubat went almost identically; Ella was terribly pleased with Grovyle's power and gall.

She left both of the Aqua boys stuttering shit about "getting beat by a chick" and "I didn't sign up for this" and started making her way towards the stairs with the captain, but didn't get very far before she was met with a new face.

"Well, well. What pretty thing do we have here?" A tall, lean man stood before them, a wide smirk on his handsome, scruffy face. He wore deep blue slim pants and a long jacket, open at the front to expose his chest and the single gold chain he had around his neck. His beard was kept angular and very tidy, and his head was covered by a lighter blue Aqua bandana. "I came up here to see what was taking so long. Two of my men should have gotten the job done _easily_"—here he paused to look past Ella at the idiots still in the corner of the room—"but clearly, they ran into a roadblock. I just didn't expect that the roadblock would be such a…captivating young lady."

Ella narrowed her eyes. "What do you want, anyway? Why do you keep getting in people's way?"

The man folded his arms. "The name is Archie. These useless dickholes you see around you are part of my team—Aqua, though I'm guessing you knew that by now. As for why I'm here…" He leaned up against the display case behind him, closing his eyes briefly. He was no longer smiling. "Are you aware, love, that all life comes from the sea?"

Of all the things he could have said, that was not the one she had expected. "What?"

"Pokemon. People. All life here. We all depend on the sea to live. But we also destroy her when we could sustain her instead. We dirty her. We pollute her. We are a selfish, selfish people." He shook his head, looking actually remorseful. "We rain destruction on our very life source."

Ella was speechless. Team Aqua was literally a radical environmentalist group. Again—she had not expected this.

Archie continued. "We—humanity—know what we are doing, and clearly we don't give a flying fuck." He spat. "It's disgusting. But what about the Pokemon? The innocent creatures whose homes we destroy with our selfishness? They die because of us. I cannot continue to let that happen without doing something about it, you hear me?"

He was impassioned in his speech; Ella had to give him that. Still, it was completely unacceptable for them to go about their goals like this. "So you're making a life of crime out of your stance on the environment?"

Archie suddenly looked very, very tired. The lines in his face seemed deeper than they had a moment ago. "I will return everything to its unspoiled beginnings."

"I'm not sure what you mean by that."

There was silence for a few seconds. Then Archie laughed again. "It's not like me to talk so much all the time. Look—I'll step off for now. I'll leave you be, love."

Ella made a face at the reiteration of the term of endearment.

"But don't expect to get off so easy next time. I've got big plans for this world." He gazed off into the distance, as if seeing something that no one else could. "I will change things."

"I think it's time you left," Ella said coldly. Captain Stern nodded wearily.

"Alright, boys. Come on." Archie beckoned to his grunts. "Come on, you fuck-ups. We'll talk about this later." They all moved together towards the stairwell, and Archie turned once more to smirk at Ella. "Remember what I said—don't fuck with me."

Despite the victory she had seemingly won, there was a sinking feeling of dread that settled in Ella's stomach at those words. She ignored it, turning to Capt. Stern.

"I was not expecting such an event, my dear. I do apologize." The captain was very apologetic. "You shouldn't have had to get mixed up in that, but I do really appreciate it."

"It's not a problem, sir." And it wasn't—it was just more to worry about, as usual. "Oh! I almost forgot. Here are your parts from Devon." She handed him the package, happy to get that weight both figuratively and literally off of her back.

"Again, I thank you. This is an incredibly important part of our upcoming ocean floor expedition. In fact—I must get going so I can work on this."

"It was nice to meet you, Captain Stern."

"And you, my dear. And you. Come visit the Shipyard if you ever need anything."

He left, whistling to himself.

Ella sat on a bench in the hallway and put her head in her hands. It was time to find a place to sleep and put the day behind her finally—and probably think about that morning's meeting with Steven in order to stop thinking about everything else. She remembered what he had said about her becoming Champion someday and scoffed. Like she would have time to worry about that if she kept getting caught up in situations like this.

She was sure there was a bar in town _somewhere_. God, did she need a drink.

_A/N: Hi friends, thanks for reading as always. Thanks to everyone who has given me feedback and encouragement thus far! I'm going to try to do chapters on a weekly basis now that my schedule is kind of regulating, so thank you for being patient with me as that happens._


	9. Chapter 9

_Hey guys! Thanks for waiting so patiently for this chapter. My life has been absolute hell lately; I'm a music student and I'm trying to prepare for a senior recital as well as help teach a history course and take an independent study in conducting...not to mention all of my actual classes. It's my last semester here before student teaching so I constantly have shit to do lol. Oh well. Enjoy your reading, let me know what you think! xx -Laura_

Ella woke early that next morning and realized quickly that it was a chilly, rainy day outside. She put on cutoff black leggings and a fitted lilac v-neck t-shirt and tied her parka around her waist for easy access in case she was poured on at any time. Though traveling in the rain seemed like a pretty shitty way to spend a day, there was no reason to postpone leaving Slateport.

North of the city, Ella found a small patch of tall grass that was vacant from any other Trainers. She used the few hours when the sun was busy establishing itself in the sky to spend some time working with her Magikarp. It was a tedious process—she had to send out Magikarp at the beginning of every battle and then switch it out for one of her useful and experienced Pokemon so that they would both share in the experience from the battle.

Following that task, once Ella and her Pokemon were all tired out and it was nearly noon, they made made their way down the western path to the shoreline at the end for a quiet rest. There were a few trees nearby and Ella plucked a couple of the Berries from each as a snack for both her and her Pokemon. It was clearing up outside, save for the fog that was forming on top of the water, and the sun was finally viewable through the clouds, its reflection glistening on the water as they looked across the wide inlet. The land on the other side of the water was hardly visible through the fog, but a nearby sign told Ella that they were across the way from Oldale Town. She was amused; it seemed like another lifetime ago that she had left her hometown of Littleroot.

She, Grovyle, Swellow, and Magikarp all settled down by the shore to eat some Berries and relax. Swellow was so pleased to be outside of its Ball that it took off and flew in circles around the area, over the water, cawing happily.

It was a serene scene; Ella loved spending time with her happy Pokemon.

It was funny to think, though, that she was looking at Oldale Town across the water. Her mother was just a few miles away. Ella wondered if her mother would be excited or worried at her daughter's quick progress through the first several cities of her Pokemon journey. Perhaps she would be proud of the Gym victories, but disappointed and concerned by the involvement in the Team Aqua conflict (however that had happened—she still wasn't entirely sure).

And what of the tall, silver-haired man who had finger-fucked her into a stupor in Granite Cave? Surely Ella's mother would shake her head and admonish her with wry amusement—and then ask her to bring him home to meet the family. Ella chuckled to herself. Her mother wasn't shocked by much, and could always be counted on to welcome someone with open arms. That would be an exchange to remember.

_And you're thinking about bringing a complete stranger home to meet your mother because…?_ The nagging voice in her head was back, and was right, of course. She had no interest in any kind of relationship—she had literally said the words "one-time thing", and who the fuck even knew if she would see him again anyway? She probably wouldn't; he was just one person…

Swellow glided back to her as she stood up and waved away the thoughts she was doing her best to forget. She walked back eastward towards the city and the enormous structure that was the Cycling Road quietly and almost defiantly, trying to instill within herself a sense of self-confidence and conviction that did NOT require a man.

There was a "cyclers ONLY" sign at the entrance to the small blue building that marked the entrance to the bicycler's haven. She was certainly not that.

It looked like she was going to have to take the low road to Mauville.

There were various patches of tall grass scattered across this road, and Ella could see wild Pokemon skittering here and there. She didn't really have a desire to catch anything at that moment, so she was going to do her best to avoid most of the creatures she saw. There would be plenty of time to catch other Pokemon later, especially once she got into more hard-to-reach places.

She rounded the first corner of the wide, unkempt grassy path only to be met with a blessedly familiar presence coming from the opposite direction.

"Ella?" An incredulous grin spread across Brendan Birch's face as they locked gazes and he registered who was coming toward him.

Ella let out a cry of delight and ran straight into her friend's outstretched arms. "Brendan! I can't tell you how absolutely thrilled I am to see you!"

He held her tightly. "It's been how long—like four or five days? This is stupid; it literally feels like a lifetime."

They released each other, and Ella shook her head, laughing. "You don't fucking know the half of it." Even though their last meeting had ended on a more somber (and maybe a little bit awkward) note, she had never been gladder to see a human being she knew.

"What are you even doing out here? Are you on your way to Mauville?" Brendan, still smiling, folded his arms and looked at her curiously.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go challenge my third Gym. And I don't have a bike yet, so…" Ella trailed off, gesturing to the tall steel structure above them that formed the Cycling Road.

"Well, the bike shop is coming up. It's in the middle of downtown Mauville, so you're almost there."

"That's a relief. My life is definitely going to be easier at that point." Ella mock-wiped her brow and sighed. "What have you been up to, anyway?"

Brendan shrugged. "Oh, you know. Fieldwork. Logging. Learning shit about shit. Doing what my dad does."

"Do you like it?" She supposed Brendan didn't have much of a choice in the matter, but if he liked it—

"Yeah, I actually really do. There's no pressure to do anything crazy, and all I get out of the deal is straight knowledge."

Well, that was good. "I'm glad. That's a pretty rigid calling, but it's cool that you like it so far." She was sure that with a father like his, the pressure was constantly on to really achieve. It was a different animal than having a Gym Leader father, although she knew Norman was a special case because of how much love, care, and support he showed her no matter what road she traveled in life.

"Thanks. I'm pretty happy with it—it's only been a few days, though, of course." Brendan raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I haven't been slacking on Training my Pokémon, though. Wanna see?"

"My Pokémon had a workout already, so they're all warmed up!" Ella adopted a power stance, placing her hands on her hips and holding her chin up high. She was excited to show off her progress to someone who had seen her at the beginning. "Show me what you've got, Brendan."

The battle was more difficult than the last several had been. Brendan was clearly a thoughtful Trainer and had a well-balanced team of Combusken, Wailmer, and Shroomish. Grovyle easily defeated the Wailmer, which was a plus, especially since it was a Pokemon she hadn't seen before and was a rather daunting creature due to its size. Shroomish and Combusken proved hardier than the first opponent, and it took a lot of swooping back and forth by an eventually exhausted Swellow to whittle down the energy of Brendan's Pokémon, defeating Combusken and exerting some wear on Shroomish.

At some point, a well-placed shot from Shroomish sent Swellow flying, though, and Ella was horrified to watch her sweet Bird Pokemon fall unconscious. It was a wonder she'd made it this far without a Pokémon fainting, honestly; but she knew it was a sight she'd never get over. Blinking back tears, she called Swellow back and sent out Grovyle again to vie for victory. Since the two Pokémon were the same type, it was a slow-moving battle, but Grovyle's superior strength won out in the end as Shroomish toppled over.

Brendan let out a long, low whistle as he called back his fallen Shroomish. "Damn, girl. You done good."

Ella, still reeling from Swellow's defeat, took a deep breath. "Thanks."

"Wanna walk to the Pokémon Center in Mauville together?"

"Please, let's."

They talked about everything on the way, from Ella's experience at the Petalburg Gym with Wally, the young man who wanted to catch a Pokémon, to traveling across the sea with Mr. Briney, to running into Team Aqua so many times for unknown reasons as of yet. Ella left out Steven Stone from her story—_he wasn't important_, she emphatically declared to herself again and again. Besides, it was so nice to see Brendan again, and she wanted to spend time talking to him, not thinking about a stranger.

Mauville was a stunning city. It was enormous and well-kept and had several elaborately built structures that adorned the streets. Ella was so delighted by its appearance that her mood changed quickly, visible in all of her interactions once they got into the city. She and Brendan spent the rest of the day there together, him cheering her on when she ran into and battled Wally in front of the Gym (a crushing defeat for him, and rather disheartening; he was hoping to prove to his father that he was ready to challenge the Gym), and her listening intently as Brendan told her all about the field research he had conducted around Slateport. He was there as she got her first bike from Rydel's Cycles—a Mach Bike of course—and they enjoyed dinner on the eastern shore right outside of Mauville, sitting on the rock wall near the water and laughing about nothing and everything. Maybe it was just the fact that he was the single familiar thing in her unfamiliar journey, but she was really looking forward to the next time she saw her friend.

But when they parted ways with a hug that was a bit too lingering for Ella's tastes and she took a room in the back of the Pokémon Center for the night, wrapped up in the thin blankets Nurse Joy provided for her, it was still Steven she thought of. Still the mysterious, handsome stranger. Still the man whom she would likely not see again and had no way of contacting. _I feel silly_, she thought, sighing softly as she touched herself like he had touched her in Granite Cave.

_I feel so silly._

_Jamie rolled over in the middle of the night as Ella lay awake on her side next to him. She felt a hand on her hip and then a strong pull as he nestled her smaller body against his._

_ "Were you sleeping?"_

_ "No," she mumbled against the pillow. "Can't sleep at all."_

_ "Sorry, babe."_

_ "S'okay." It wasn't, really. Her boyfriend had been out until nearly three AM trying to fit in an extra Training session with a friend. Something about a Scyther and "I've really been slacking on working with Bug-type Trainers" and "I'll be home tonight, just save me some dinner". She had finished a paper, made, eaten, and put away dinner, and gone through half a season of her favorite television show before falling asleep on the couch, waking to his tired, apologetic face above her. They had gone to bed without speaking._

_ "Ell…" Jamie paused for a long time. It felt like hours, almost. "We're not really okay, are we?"_

_ She hesitated, but both of them knew the words that were coming._

_ "…No, we're not."_

_ He exhaled slowly; defeatedly. "I know."_

_ They stayed in that position until morning, neither of them wishing to face the reality that was staring them down._

The memory was sobering enough to wipe away all her conscious or unconscious desires for a relationship with anyone. Ella slept soundly then, dreaming of nothing but her own future.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Hey all. So so so sorry for the lack of updates for so long. First semester was kind of definitely hell, but now I've started student teaching and everything is awesome and I'm super excited. Hoping to not leave you all hanging again. This chapter is kind of filler, but that's just because this is the least interesting part of the game and Steven is nowhere to be fucking found for awhile. Things will pick up again in the next couple of chapters, though-I've got something quite entertaining in the works. Hope you enjoy! xx_

Wattson wasn't difficult to defeat in battle, and his booming laughter and eager presence made everything entirely enjoyable. Ella was able to forget about her past and present issues with men she hoped not to see again and focus on something that she was beginning to realize was what she had always wanted to do. It was such a rewarding experience to see her sweet Grovyle turn and beam at her after finishing off Wattson's Magneton, tired as it was. The old man congratulated her on a job well done and gifted her with her third Badge, which looked even more lovely than the last two.

The next stop had been Verdanturf, where Ella took a few moments to visit Wally's aunt and uncle's home before heading to the tunnel that connected this town to Rustboro. She knew that with the Badge she had just received she would have the authority to help clear the still-present blockage halfway through the tunnel—and she had an errand to run in Rustboro anyway.

"Ah, Miss Ella!" Several hours later, after the tunnel had been cleared and Ella had travelled back to the Devon Corporation, Mr. Stone's booming voice welcomed her before she could even focus on the source of the sound. "You've returned—and in only a few days!"

This man had such a comforting air about him. Ella couldn't help but smile as she made her way towards the President of Devon. "Everything has been delivered as you requested, sir." She took a seat in one of the plush burgundy armchairs in front of his enormous desk.

He positively beamed at her, reclining slightly in his swiveling wingback chair. "I knew you could do it, my dear. Thank you so much."

Ella shook her head and folded her hands in her lap. "Not a problem at all."

She knew the next question was coming, but it still made her blush significantly. "What did you think of my son?"

_A dapper dresser, excellent kisser and exquisitely talented with his hands. _"He was very gracious, Mr. Stone."

"I raised my boy right!" He let out a guffaw. "Steven loves his manners and his Pokémon, that's for sure."

"He even gave me a TM—I could tell he's a very skilled Trainer." Ella could have left that detail out, but something pushed her to say it—perhaps her desire to impress Mr. Stone.

"Did he, now?" The big man's eyes twinkled. "When's the second date, then?"

Ella inhaled sharply and hesitated. "I, ah—it wasn't—that is; I doubt we'll run into each other again, sir. I'm sure he has a lot of places to be."

The man in question's father waved a large hand dismissively. "Hogwash! He always manages to show up when he's most needed. I'm sure you'll cross paths soon."

To appease him, Ella nodded. "If you say so, Mr. Stone." She smiled politely once more, ignoring her suddenly faster pulse. "But I have something else to talk to you about, actually."

He raised an eyebrow, folding his fingers together as he rested his elbows on the arms of his chair. "Oh? Tell me."

"I ran into Team Aqua again in Slateport. They wanted the package that I was delivering again."

Mr. Stone frowned. "I assumed as much, though I did not intend to send you into a dangerous situation."

"It was fine; I held my own. But…" Ella bit her lip thoughtfully. "I would encourage you to be really careful, sir. I don't know what's going to happen and I feel like the employees that aren't at least decent Trainers could be in real danger if you entrust them with anything major."

The man thought for a moment. "I understand. How unfortunate that you must be the bearer of bad news—I'm sure you didn't expect this to be the case when you began Training such a short time ago."

"I suppose that's true, but I'm glad I've been able to be of help thus far."

"So am I," Mr. Stone replied very seriously. "You've done us a great service."

They spoke for a few more moments and Mr. Stone gifted her with an EXP Share before she left, handing it over with the twinkle in his eye returning and a stage-whispered "No doubt you'll meet my son again."

Secretly, she hoped so—but she brushed it off with a laugh. "Good afternoon, sir."

The tall blonde secretary, Amelia, sent her off with a warm "Good day", and Ella quickly found herself wandering back towards Verdanturf and Mauville as if time was of the essence. She wanted very much to get her mind off of what didn't matter and back on the task at hand—after consulting her PokeNav, she knew her next stop would be Lavaridge Town for her fourth Gym Badge. It would be several days before that goal was met, though, as she knew needed desperately to train. Her Pokémon were not of types that would play well with Fire.

Ella spent what remained of the late afternoon and evening in Mauville, though, knowing she'd already done enough traveling for the day, simply enjoying the city and shopping. She'd been going so hard ever since beginning her Training that she hadn't allowed herself the time to relax, and this was a welcome distraction from what had been happening lately.

The Pokémon Center in Mauville was the largest Ella had seen yet, and it proved to be a very comfortable place to spend the night. She resolved to stay there when she was in the area as much as possible. Luckily for her, the night was a refreshing departure from the thoughts and dreams that had been plaguing her for the past few days—evidently the day of relaxation had done her some semblance of good.

The next morning, after a solid night of sleep, Ella rose early once again to make her way out of the city of Mauville. It was obvious that she would be returning here several times more, as it seemed to be a veritable hub for business, a delightful social atmosphere, and—of course—the place she could always switch out her bike for a different model if she needed to. Because of this, it wasn't hard to find the energy to leave town and continue. She knew she could always come back.

The chilly morning breeze blew cold against her face as she stepped out of the town gates, and she pulled her wavy hair up into a messy bun as she walked along the path that led north. It wasn't long before she came to a roadblock, though—several large boulders blocked her way. Convenient that her last Gym battle victory enabled her to use Rock Smash outside of battle. She taught the move to her Grovyle via HM, and they were soon through the wall of rock and onto the next area. A few Trainers were hanging out along the path, and Ella engaged in several friendly battles before she saw the next obstacle: an enormous desert, clearly encumbered by sandstorms and windswept dunes. It was a daunting sight, to be sure—but she had to go on, right?

Her first few steps into the storms were the only ones she took before turning back. The wind was blowing so much sand around that she couldn't even keep her eyes open, and there was absolutely no way she could get through here blind. She staggered away from the winds and back into the grass with some relief. The long way around would have to do.

This way at least provided some more attractive scenery, as Mt. Chimney loomed above her up ahead. She could make out a cable car system going up the side all the way to the top, sort of like a skiing area (but with volcanic ash instead of snow). Appreciating the view, she took part in a few more Trainer battles with campers, hikers, and—strangely—martial artists. They all graciously accepted their losses to her, gifting her with some advice for the path up ahead; although she planned on taking the cable car to the top, she listened politely.

Ella's plan was shot, though, when she reached the base of the mountain. Team Aqua members stood in front of the entrance to the small building that housed the cable car's access, blocking her path. She approached them hesitantly.

"Are you planning on standing there all day? I'd like to use the car."

The three who stood before her fixed her with identical frowns. The one in the middle, a tall woman with long dark hair and the signature Aqua bandanna tied atop her head, spoke: "Well, so would we, but we've been 'instructed' to stay here and not do shit. Can't help ya."

Ella sighed exasperatedly. "I guess I'll be intruding upon some plan, then, if I ride to the top of the mountain."

The guy to the woman's left responded. "Not really; just preparations. The plan won't actually happen for another few days."

Surprised that the gang was being so congenial, Ella shrugged. "You know, whatever. I'm not gonna fuck with you right now." She had things to do and really had no desire to get caught up in whatever "plan" was in motion—at least not yet. Somehow she suspected that trouble would end up finding her instead, anyway, if she was meant to be involved.

The three goons didn't even spare her a second glance as she walked away from them and into the cave that made up the base of the mountain. She assumed that this cave would lead her up towards Fallarbor Town, which would be at least one step closer to Lavaridge. Her Pokémon were getting tired anyway; she could really use the Pokémon Center.

What she hadn't been ready for was the explosion of hot, sticky air that met her at the entrance to the cave. It was like a sauna in here at the base of this volcano, and she was incredibly thankful that she could actually see the tiny light that marked the exit from the tunnel way off in the distance. The walls were literally steaming from the cracks between the rocks, and already Ella was sweating. She pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing and tied it quickly around her waist, thankful that she had chosen a tank top to wear underneath. The ground was rocky, too, and she watched where she stepped as she made her way down the dark path towards the end. Few Pokémon inhabited the tunnel, it seemed—she ran across some slower creatures that didn't approach her for a challenge, but other than that the way was pretty clear. She was grateful to reach the exit and step out once again into the chilly fall air.

The afternoon sun was setting slowly as evening approached, and Ella knew she'd have to stay in Fallarbor for the night, which was entirely fine. It would be nice to rejuvenate both herself and her tired Pokémon. She pulled out her map to figure out which way she would need to turn to get to the town, and discovered she would need to go through several more Trainers to reach her destination.

_No one said this would be easy._

There were a few close calls, but Ella pulled through using most of her supply of Super Potions and various Berries. She was able to avoid a few battles as she got closer and closer to the town because of the volcanic ash that rained from the sky; several of the Trainers who would normally have battled her either couldn't see her through the ash or were preoccupied with keeping it off of themselves. Ella didn't concern herself with the ash for now, but as she wiped some of the soot from her shoulders, she couldn't wait to take a shower later.

Before she reached the town, in the last few moments of dim light before dusk, she added to her team a Skarmory—an intimidating Flying/Steel type that she fell in love with at first sight. Hopefully it would take to her quickly, too.

It was with much relief that she finally reached the Pokémon Center at the edge of town. Everyone inside had a friendly face, and one woman in particular—a soft wisp of a girl with long, curly hair—introduced herself to Ella, unprompted, as Lanette. The woman was actually promoting a new online storage system for Pokémon that had just gone up, and Ella was delighted to learn about it firsthand. This meant that she could catch as many Pokémon as she wanted and they would be able to be stored safely and healthily online, ready to rejoin her team at any point.

The ladies spent an hour or so talking, and Lanette let Ella know that she was welcome at her house nearby anytime she was in the area. She seemed like a good person to know, and Ella was grateful for the contact.

Her (now) four Pokémon in tow, Ella spent the night at the Pokémon Center in Fallarbor and had her second night in a row of actual good, uninterrupted sleep. She hadn't thought about Jamie or Steven for more than a passing moment at a time in the last few days—hopefully her focus on her ever-constant Pokémon journey would keep that trend going.

_Fingers crossed._


	11. Chapter 11

Ella spent the first half of the next day doing a lot more all-terrain hiking than she expected. Meteor Falls was up ahead, and she desperately wanted to explore its depths, but to get there she had to cross a river, a huge rocky field of tall grass, and many levels of rock formations. There were always Trainers in front of her waiting to meet her eyes and fight—and fight she did.

She didn't make it through unscathed, though, and it was entirely inconvenient to go all the way back to the Pokémon Center in Fallarbor once she had left, so she ended up using a large amount of the Potions and Super Potions that she had acclimated over the last few weeks. Her Pokémon were doing well, however; she was proud of them. Grovyle was working hard, but struggling a little bit with the Fire-types they encountered. Hopefully her Magikarp would soon evolve and become useful…

Meteor Falls was a beautiful place on the inside. There was soft sand on every surface and the waterfalls within the cavern were a glorious shade of blue. It was clearly very vast, and she knew there were places she wouldn't be able to get to inside with the level of experience she currently possessed.

That, however, was a struggle and consideration for another day, though, because of course Team Aqua stood before her on the next lowest level of the cavern.

_FUCK._ Why did they always have to run into each other? Why couldn't they just cut this shit out?

And, to make matters worse, it sounded like they were on their way to the same place she was.

"With this meteorite, Mt. Chimney will—"

As if the guy who was speaking (clad in Aqua paraphernalia, naturally) had heard a noise (Ella was entirely silent) he turned around and looked directly up at her. _Of COURSE._ "Who are you?"

She sighed. "It doesn't matter—"

"You're right, it doesn't matter at all, if you're gonna get in our way, we'll—"

"Hold it right there!"

Three tall, lanky men all in red stepped onto the scene. Ella had to stifle a laugh; this was getting almost too ridiculous. Of COURSE the opposing teams wore opposing colors. Classic.

"We are Team Magma, and we would not be able to live with ourselves if we were to let you get away with your misdeeds!"

The ringleader of this group of Aqua thugs stared the new speaker down. "Ha! Team Magma joins us…but you're too late!" He clenched and unclenched his fist a couple of times, visibly irritated that they had been discovered at all, but then shook his head. "We have the meteorite, and that's all we need here, so we're off to Mt. Chimney. Fuckin' peace." They turned and stormed up the stone steps, shoving Ella aside, and left the cavern.

It was the newcomer's turn to sigh. After a moment, he made his way up the steps as well, and offered his hand to Ella to steady her. "Who are you?"

"My name is…um…" she trailed off, trying desperately to think of an alias that would keep her out of trouble.

The tall man shook his head and adjusted the square glasses he wore. "There's no danger in telling me your name. I'd just like to stop Aqua before they do anything unwise."

"Ella." She looked down at her shoes, embarrassed for having done nothing to stop the villains as they departed.

He did not acknowledge her embarrassment, and spoke plainly. "Ella. My name is Maxie, and I am the head of Team Magma. We and Team Aqua simply oppose one another on all accounts, as they are rash, impulsive, and dangerous in their efforts to promote and expand the life of the sea."

"I've noticed," said Ella, grateful for his straightforward speech.

"I'd be surprised if you hadn't. We are giving chase to them immediately—you would do well to watch your back too, if you do not plan to join us."

"Should I?" She didn't want to, but something told her she was in too deep to stop now.

He looked at her, seriousness in his gaze. "That is up to you to decide." He then beckoned to his stony-faced men, and they left the cave.

Ella cursed aloud at the fact that Mt. Chimney was her next stop anyway.

It took the heroine and her Pokémon the rest of the day to make it back to Fallarbor, and the sun was setting when Ella made the spontaneous and irresponsible decision to keep traveling towards Mt. Chimney and not stay the night in the town. At least, SHE thought it was spontaneous and irresponsible. Grumbling things like "my selfless heart" and "fuck me for being nice", she jogged through the dusk and beginning of the night to reach the cable car up the volcano at an ungodly hour.

Luckily, she managed to catch a few winks on her trip up the mountain, as the ride itself was nearly an hour long—and it wasn't as if she could see out the windows anyway; it was dark and soot still rained from the sky. The nap refreshed her only somewhat, because she knew what waited for her on the summit.

Getting off the cable car some time later, she was greeted by a two-tone scene: the red uniforms of Team Magma faced the blue uniforms of Team Aqua as pairs of them faced each other down here and there. She climbed the steps that had been dug into the side of the rock formations on top of the mountain, quietly observing what she saw. Soon she reached a level where Maxie, the man she had met much earlier in Meteor Falls, was battling three Aqua grunts at once. He looked up and saw her as she approached, a slight sheen of sweat covering his face and more than a hint of panic showing.

"Ella—you have to help me stop them!" He pointed in the direction of the volcano's mouth, taking a moment to shout "Bite!" at his Poochyena and then turning his attention back to the woman he had just met. "They're trying to make this volcano inactive…"

Ella's eyes widened. That would actually be pretty bad for a lot of Pokémon and a lot of people—the climate would change, habitats would change—and all for the "expansion of the sea"? She nodded at Maxie and hurried in the direction he had pointed.

Several grunts were seemingly waiting for her before she could reach what she assumed was Archie doing a Very Stupid Thing. The battles with them were a blur for her. It was hot as fuck on the top of this volcano, she was exhausted, and frankly, she was also very angry for the way people like Team Aqua did things with no regard for others. She blew through the challengers easily, using only a couple of Potions on her sweet Grovyle, who was just as fired up as she was. The grunts were finally at a point where they used more than just Poochyena and Zubat; Water-type Pokémon were now part of their teams. Luckily for Ella, Grovyle took them down easily.

Archie waited for her silently at the edge of the volcanic crater. It was unbearably hot now, and Ella was soaked with sweat. The tall bearded man eyed her up and down as she stepped towards him.

"Sweet thing. I told you not to fuck with me."

"Why do you feel like you have to do this?" Ella had no time for his terms of endearment. "No one thinks it's a good idea but you."

"If I make this volcano inactive using the power of this meteorite, the crater will fill with rainwater and give Water-type Pokémon a place to live."

There were no lies in his story, but she did not find merit in it. "But you'd be changing all that exists now. You'd kill one thing for the sake of another equal thing. Where is the good in that?"

He closed the distance between them in two strides, fury in his eyes, but raised a hand only to run his fingertips along Ella's jawline. "There is no joy in the land, love."

His touch was icy despite the hot air, and she shivered and shirked from his hand. "Perhaps not to you, but to others it is home. Do not destroy a home."

_"Do not destroy this home." She spoke in a furious hiss across the table from him, tears falling, and Jamie showed no reaction. FUCK him. "You are killing one thing for the sake of another."_

_ "I can't do both, Ella. I need to Train."_

_ She was silent for a long time. "If that's what you want, then you're right and we shouldn't be together."_

_ "I'm sorry."_

_ "I thought you would be my home."_

_ The truth was that she'd known he would choose Training, but she couldn't bring herself to admit it._

Archie's face was unreadable for a moment, and many emotions flashed across it—pain, longing, pain, more pain—and he spoke through gritted teeth. "Do not tell me what I can and cannot do, pretty girl." Archie stepped back, pulled a Pokémon from his belt, and waited for her retaliation. "You are the daughter of a Gym Leader; you have been given it all. You do not know what this means."

_"Your father doesn't factor into this." Steven was looking directly at her. "This is about you, not your name." _

Ella fought him then without a second thought, ripping his team apart with unfathomable anger and pride and desperation to fucking prove something to herself.

When it was done, Archie looked to be about half the man he started as. "I…we will back off for now."

"Good." She was spitting fire.

"You haven't seen the last of us, Miss Rosewater." He stepped towards her and made to touch her again, but she held up a hand wordlessly. He paused, nodded, turned away, and left her alone, collecting his men as he made his way back down the mountain.

Team Magma members looked her way appreciatively as she passed, and Maxie inclined his head respectfully, visibly relieved. She returned the nod, but her only goal at this point was quiet and sleep.

The attendants at the cable car station offered her a cot. Nothing could have felt more welcoming at that moment.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi everybody-I'm so incredibly sorry for the lack of updates. Since I published the last chapter, I've finished college, gotten engaged, moved, found several jobs...a LOT has happened. But we're back, and Ella's still alive and well. Warning: this chapter does have some mildly explicit F/F smut near the end, so if you're not into that, well...there ya go. Enjoy! Thanks so much for all your support, as always!_

Ella rose early, having slept for only a few hours, and finally fucking went to Lavaridge Town. She spent the first half of the day at the Pokémon Center and the hot springs around back, cleaning off all of the grime and soot and sweat that had covered her for the last few days; but though the springs were delightfully warm and relaxing, they did little to ease her grim, tense demeanor. The events of the previous day and a half had exhausted her emotionally—she hoped that getting right back into the Gym Training mindset would return her to normal.

Tilting her head back against the side of the pool she reclined in, Ella angrily recalled all that Archie had said to her on Mt. Chimney. So much had been assumed about her, and so many memories had been called back through his words; some good, and others awful. Jamie and his emotionless abandonment of her; her powerful, courageous, wonderful father who seemed to be all some people saw when they looked at her; how far she'd come mentally since she started this adventure just last month—they all swarmed together in her mind, causing her to sigh heavily. It was just…so much, all at once.

Wiping away the sheen of sweat on her forehead that had occurred as a result of the steam from the springs, Ella resigned herself to not think about it until after her next Gym battle. There was no reason to stress unnecessarily, especially not when winning this battle was the most important thing on the horizon. She rose from the water and left her uncomfortable thoughts in the pool.

She went over the facts she knew about the Lavaridge Gym in her mind as she dressed after the springs: it was a Fire-type Gym, led by a woman around her age who hadn't been there for very long, and—something about puzzles. That was all she had to go on, but she felt prepared after her ruthless defeat of Archie, several hours earlier. If she could force the leader of a dangerous gang to turn and run, certainly she could match forces with a woman who commanded a single type of Pokémon.

The Gym itself was much larger on the inside than the outside made it look; it was multi-tiered, covered in at least three different types of terrain, and if Ella squinted off at the far wall, she could just barely make out the explosion-like red ponytail that she knew was Flannery's. It matched the red of the simple sheath dress Ella wore, and the fire in her eyes.

_Number four, here I come_.

Grovyle looked exhausted, swaying back and forth, singe marks up and down the leaves on his arms and legs. He was clearly on the verge of fainting, and although Ella was glad to have pushed him hard, she needed to heal him _now. _

"Hold on, love, I have just the thing—" she fumbled around in her bag, searching for a Super Potion…and then stopped, her mouth falling open in horror.

_I used the last one I had in my battle with Archie yesterday._

"No…" Ella blinked back tears, knowing that she couldn't win without her leafy green companion, and balking at the realization that her forgetfulness was the reason that he was about to fall to the floor. As Grovyle inflicted his last Scratch on Slugma, the exertion proved to be too much for him and he collapsed at their feet, down for the count.

Ella looked from her Pokémon to the redheaded Gym Leader, momentarily speechless, and saw that Flannery's expression was determined still, but conveyed more than a hint of sympathy. She prayed that it wasn't out of pity. "Dammit, dammit, dammit," the Trainer muttered, angry at herself for being so irresponsible. She recalled Grovyle, placing the Pokeball back at her belt gingerly. Now what? What was her best chance at even getting close to victory?

It sure as hell wasn't Magikarp, that was for certain. The opposing Slugma blew through the useless Water-type, even considering its type disadvantage. Swellow didn't last long either, having been out of the action for several days and lacking practice, and her last chance was the Skarmory she had picked up near Fallarbor.

Skarmory proved to be a real asset, though—_he's so light_, she thought in awe as she watched her Pokémon dodge the bursts of flame Slugma sent at him in the air. Graceful and elegant; sharp and steel. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't enough—Skarmory wasn't quite at the level he needed to be to do any real damage, and soon the flames caught up with him.

As her last Pokémon fell gracefully to the floor, Ella called him back to his ball in defeat. Tears sprang to her eyes again, and she immediately felt stupid for allowing them to get there. She gazed determinedly at the ground, willing them away desperately.

"Hey." Flannery, tall and beautiful and strong, recalled her Slugma and stepped towards Ella hesitantly. "That was killer." She didn't come too close, and her voice was reassuring. Ella thought Flannery was perhaps a year younger than her, the tight jeans, crop top, and

"Ha." Ella's tone was unwavering despite the feeling in the pit of her stomach. "We fought hard, that's for sure."

There was a silence that hung in the air for a lingering few moments, and then Flannery finally spoke-

"Fight me again tomorrow, Ella."

"What?"

"There is no way I'll get that lucky again. You had me in the palm of your hand until the very end of Grovyle's turn, and that was just because you were out of healing items."

Ella thought for a few moments. She supposed Flannery was right, but was it worth another potential loss? If she ran Grovyle through a couple of warm-up battles in the morning, they could probably be ready to go…

"Seriously. That Pokémon was hardly even affected by its type disadvantage, being Grass against my Fire. He's strong enough to do this."

The blonde Trainer was trying hard not to show how blatantly thankful those words made her feel. "Alright." Her decision was firm. She'd come into the battle with newfound resilience and not take her Pokémon for granted. Luck had been on her side until today, but it didn't take only luck to win; it took carefully planned battle strategy. "Tomorrow afternoon at 4—I'll be ready."

"Yes!" Flannery looked delighted. "You'll do just fine; I know you will."

"Thank you." Ella thought it was a little bit odd that the other woman was excited at the prospect of her winning. "Aren't you glad that you won, though?"

Flannery looked at her—like, really looked at her—and said very seriously, "It's not about winning." She suddenly looked much older and wiser than her twenty-something years would suggest. "It's about giving the worthy Trainers the tools they deserve to succeed."

Ella opened her mouth to say something, but faltered. _She's right. Dad does that every day…and I guess I talked about that with Roxanne, too, in a way._

"I'm just starting to figure that out, being a first-year Gym Leader and all…but sometimes it's so fucking obvious, like now." The redhead closed the distance between them and placed her hand on Ella's shoulder. "Does that make sense?"

"It does." And it did. Norman wasn't a Gym Leader because he wanted to win. Roxanne wasn't a Gym Leader because she wanted to win. All of these people were working to better themselves and to help others do the same—and maybe, when she had achieved a certain level, it might not be out of the question to consider doing something similar. These glimpses of Training past a surface level were becoming more frequent the further she got in her journey.

_Jamie had never understood any of it._

"Dude. Do you want to get a drink with me tonight?" Flannery asked suddenly, dropping her hand and stepping back, as if struck by sudden inspiration.

"Even though I'm challenging you again tomorrow?" Ella responded curiously. "Isn't that a conflict of interest?" It wasn't that she didn't want to; she desperately wanted time with a friendly face after that loss—even if it was the one who defeated her.

Flannery shrugged. "Why the hell not? It doesn't have to be a conflict of interest if we don't want it to be, right?"

"Sure, I guess that's true." Ella agreed. "Yeah, man, let's do it." She knew the one bar in town was just across the street from the Pokémon Center. If nothing else, at least bed would be just a few steps away.

Killing time until the evening was easy enough—the hot springs behind the Pokémon Center were as relaxing as they had been that morning and helped release some of the tension she had built up throughout the battle. The elderly ladies that cohabitated the springs smiled kindly at her and made pleasant conversation, mentioning how envious they were of Ella's youth and vitality. She didn't feel particularly youthful after her first true loss, though—more immature than anything else. Still she smiled back and told them "thank you".

Her next stop was the Pokemart—or, rather, the herbal supplement store that existed in its place. She winced as she bought several overpriced items with the same strength as a Super Potion, but resigned herself to the fact that anything was better than being unprepared.

Following that, she took her freshly healed Pokémon out to the cliffs to the east overlooking the route below, letting them all out to enjoy the fresh air. She was careful to hold each one of them briefly, conveying her apologies for allowing them to fall in battle. She knew that Pokémon had been battling and winning and losing and fainting for years and years, but the fact that it had happened to all of _her _Pokémon was something else entirely. They were so special to her, and she wanted them to feel safe always.

Ella entered the small, homey bar and quickly spotted the fiery redhead seated at a high table in the corner.

"Bought you a shot." Flannery carefully slid a shot glass full of amber-colored liquid across the table to Ella, who picked it up and sniffed it.

"Is this Fireball?"

Flannery grinned cheekily. "What the fuck else would it be? I've gotta be at least a LITTLE cliché."

Ella returned the smile with tired eyes. "Good point." She downed the shot eagerly, hoping to quickly be in a warmer state of mind. "Want a beer to wash it down?"

"I'll never say no."

She went to the bar, where a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and receding hairline sold her a couple of tall plastic cups of some amber lager she hadn't tried and assumed was locally produced.

Flannery approved of her choice. "You picked my favorite. Thanks, girl."

The two women took a couple of hours to get through two beers and another shot, finding it surprisingly easy to talk to one another despite the circumstances of earlier in the day. Flannery was twenty-one, hilarious, and Ella quickly discovered they had something in common: Flannery's grandfather was once a member of the Elite Four in Hoenn, as Ella's father had been Champion in Johto. They bonded happily over their lineages, both bemoaning the process of making a name for themselves separate from those who came first. Ella was unspeakably glad that she had found solace with people like her—and like Steven Stone, though she refused to think about him still.

Conversation soon turned to men; to flings and to love, inhibitions lessening with the alcohol.

"So, other than the evil ex, who else has there been? What's your number?" Flannery asked, and winked.

Ella laughed, shoving Flannery's shoulder. "Damn it, I should have known you'd go there—girl talk always ends up here somehow!"

The Gym Leader's expression was almost challenging as she nearly lost her balance on the stool. "Are you gonna tell me, or not?" she teased, righting herself.

"Okay, three." Ella drained her beer and set the empty glass back down on the table resolutely.

Flannery grinned mischievously. "Any girls on that list?"

Blushing very slightly, Ella raised her eyebrows. "One, yeah." She couldn't stop herself from adding the next bit: "Why do you ask?"

The redhead then did something a little bit surprising and a little bit predictable—she leaned in, putting her hand gently yet firmly on Ella's thigh, and spoke to her in a low voice. "Call me crazy, but I kinda wanna fuck you."

Ella raised her eyebrows, slightly warm all over—and not because of the alcohol. "Oh?"

"You're hot, and I'm pretty sure you'll beat me tomorrow because today was just luck for me, and I think you wanna fuck me a little bit too."

She wasn't wrong. Flannery was incredibly attractive in a loud, bold, and spontaneous way, and Ella had been glancing at her tits sporadically for the last hour or so. She'd only had sex with another woman once before and it had been drunkenly, when she and Jamie had pulled a girl giving them both eyes at a party into their bedroom, because _why not, I suppose_. She hadn't been very attracted to that woman, but the one in front of her was raising a challenging eyebrow, wearing a tipsy smirk, and running fingernails over the top of her thigh with such purposeful strokes; it wasn't a hard sell.

Ella stood, motioning to the other woman. "C'mon."

Flannery grinned cheekily and followed suit.

They left the bar, whose crowd was beginning to thin as the night went on, and made their way back in the direction of the Gym. The Leader's house was right behind the building, under the umbrella of a couple of large trees covered by volcanic ash. Ella found her back quickly pressed against the trunk of one of these trees and delicate—yet strong-hands on her hips.

"Can we start now? You're so goddamn pretty even in the dark…"

Ella responded by pulling Flannery to her swiftly and without a word, their lips meeting in a mentally exhausted fervor. Flannery's lips were slightly chapped but full and soft and pleasant, and she deftly swept her tongue across Ella's lips before both parted without argument.

Things moved quickly after that. Ella knew it was simply in good fun for both of them, but it had been such a long several days that she was releasing much more pent-up emotion with every move she made against Flannery's hips. They were soon on the futon just inside the Gym Leader's house, Ella straddling the other woman where she sat, their clothes scattered haphazardly. Flannery was undeniably good at what she was doing with three of her fingers, slightly curved and pressing against exactly where they would make the blonde moan the loudest, though she was also doing a considerable amount of swearing—because _fuck_ being even remotely ladylike in this situation—

"Goddamn it, Flannery—" Ella gasped as she came hard and fast, tightening around Flannery's fingers with no semblance of control.

The redhead grinned smugly up at her. "That felt like a good one."

Breathlessly, Ella nodded. "I'll say. Jesus." She sat back on her knees for a moment, relaxing as Flannery slid her slick digits from between Ella's legs, and sighed happily. "Consider yourself forgiven for beating the shit out of me today."

The Gym Leader patted Ella's thigh sympathetically. "It happens. But hey—don't think you're getting out of getting me off too!"

Ella looked down at her in mock horror, and then giggled. "Wouldn't dream of it." She hauled herself off of the futon and grabbed Flannery's hand to pull her up. "C'mon."

Bemused, Flannery followed Ella into the small bedroom, where she was abruptly kissed again. Ella moved her hands to Flannery's hips and then to her pert ass; squeezing with pleasure. And then they were on the bed, both of them all too ready for the second half of the event.

The blonde gazed down for a moment at the woman bared before her, admiring how lithe and toned Flannery was in places where Ella herself was soft and pale.

"What, you like?" The Gym Leader smirked.

Ella blushed and nodded, uncharacteristically shy for just a second. "You're gorgeous."

The redhead winked. "Show me."

Shaking off her shy spell, Ella grabbed the other woman's knees, on in each hand, and held herself steady as she lowered her mouth to Flannery's pussy. The redhead arched her back slightly with a throaty moan as Ella's tongue flicked at her clit, and she grabbed at fistfuls of the blonde hair beneath her.

Ella had never orally pleasured another woman before, so she was really just making educated guesses based on what she liked and what she thought made sense; but that fact didn't seem to matter to the lithe, strong beauty she was between the legs of. She tasted sweet and sour and unexpectedly satisfying. Flannery was also quite vocal about her experience, it seemed, and Ella was quite content to be the source of her cries. She added a finger; then another; and the woman beneath her didn't last long before her climax came to a glorious peak, arching her back beautifully again as the tension in all her limbs released.

It was silly, but Ella was incredibly grateful to be distracted. She hoped she was conveying her wordless appreciation appropriately as she kissed her partner for the evening goodnight with a sweet smile before the two of them fell asleep in the Gym Leader's bed.

The next morning was full of laughs as the girls rose and got ready for the day, both blushing as they recalled the events of the evening together. At some point, though, Ella cleared her throat and started to speak—

"I, ah…" She didn't know how to tell Flannery that she wasn't interested in starting something, especially when her mind flashed back to how harsh the words sounded to Steven—_and I actually mean it when I say it this time, although it was crazy fun—_

"I don't expect this to be a recurring thing, girl. Don't worry. But damn—" here Flannery flashed her a grin—"you fine."

Ella laughed and pulled the other woman into an embrace, kissing her cheek lightly. "Well, hey, if I'm ever around, single, and horny and you're down, we can…ah…"

"Get down?" The redhead winked heartily.

Ella's laugh joined hers. "Yeah, that."

"Sweet. But seriously, no pressure at all. I'm super ready for us to be friends and for you to come visit sometimes, though."

The smile on both of their faces was genuine. It had been a little while since Ella had felt carefree about something. "Flannery."

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to say…thanks." Ella looked serious for a moment, and bit her lower lip in thought. "I really needed to clear my head, and you made me feel much better about yesterday, and…"

Flannery shook her head and smiled. "The thing I want you to take away from this—other than a couple of really great orgasms—is don't let losses fuck you up. Everyone has them. Battling isn't about that; it's about what you do to respond to your mistakes."

"As in, you pick yourself back up and sleep with a hot girl?"

Both of them burst out laughing. "Yeah, something like that. And—speaking of—are you ready to battle me again?"

The blonde's breath hitched in her throat, and she hesitated only briefly before saying, "Yeah, I think I am."

"Good." Flannery opened her front door and motioned her back in the direction of the Gym, and Ella followed with bated breath.

_Now THIS will be number four._


	13. Chapter 13

_Hi all-thanks for patiently waiting, as always. I'm so grateful for all the support I receive from my readers; you guys are awesome. One quick note-I didn't put any battle description in this chapter because I feel like it gets very repetitive and I'd prefer to focus on the stuff that I know I can write well. If you'd like to see me write more moment-to-moment battle stuff, just let me know and I'll work on it! Thanks everybody! xxoo_

Her Heat Badge was her most important victory so far, Ella thought.

Flannery had been truly proud of her as she did exactly as the Gym Leader had expected; a sweeping victory with her trusty Grovyle even in the face of a type disadvantage. The healing items Ella had used were helpful, but she didn't end up needing as many of them as she thought. It was much more about how renewed she felt in the wake of her first loss and the support of her friend facing her across the Gym.

After a tearful and happy goodbye to Flannery with promises to come visit, Ella had left town knowing that her next Gym battle would likely be her toughest—perhaps not in actual challenge, but in the fearsome reality that she would be facing and attempting to overcome her father. Norman would be proud of her no matter what transpired on the field of battle, but she wanted him to see just how far she had come. She had resolved to spend several days Training in the area north of Mauville and east of Lavaridge, on the edge of a tremendous sandstorm.

Ella, as a former psychology student, was very good at predicting behaviors and often used that to her advantage. What she never seemed to get the hang of, though, was the strange ability of those she met along the way to pop up in places she didn't expect. She ran into Brendan Birch again in the area she planned to Train in, and they ended up spending a few days together exploring and working towards their own separate goals. He gave her a pair of goggles to help her work through the brazen sandstorm without getting lost, and she helped him level up some of his weaker Pokémon in return. She was relieved to continuously find that Brendan didn't harbor any resentment towards her because of his feelings she had never returned, but his eyes often lingered on her for too long, or he would go out of his way to do something unnecessary for her, or…

It wasn't that he wasn't a wonderful person—he reminded Ella of his father, the Professor. He was simply too young, too eager, too soft. Jamie had been hard and focused…and sometimes angry. Steven had been wise and clever and terribly smooth, and _goddamn it_, there she went again with her thoughts about a one-time fling. A handsome, brilliant, one-time fling.

She drowned those poisonous thoughts in the cooler of beer she and Brendan kept near their tents.

Her Magikarp was finally a Gyarados.

Ella stood in awe of the enormous Water/Dragon-type, watching as it flicked its facial fins back and forth. It was glorious, and it was hers. She reached out a hand to touch its scaled skin, and it lowered its mighty head to move against her fingers.

Brendan had left a few days ago with a promise to catch up soon, and not too long afterwards Ella had decided to begin making her way back to Petalburg City—slowly but surely. There was no reason to rush, and the more experience she got on the way, the stronger she would be when she reached her father. Her Magikarp's evolution was a grand example of this experience, and she couldn't be happier.

Gyarados was her main Pokemon along this leg of her journey and she thoroughly enjoyed the time she spent Training with it. This Pokemon made her feel powerful and confident, though it was somewhat of a glass cannon if hit in the right way. Petalburg Woods was a challenging place for them to Train together because of the variety of types inside and Ella took full advantage of it, camping several nights along the way. She was finally beginning to understand the small amount of spare time Jamie had always possessed, realizing how much effort it took to work with even one Pokemon, let alone a full team. The two of them hadn't been right together anyway, but she could reconcile some semblance of forgiveness towards him in her mind. It was a different lifestyle, requiring different commitments.

Ella reached Petalburg Gym some days later with too many thoughts alive in her head, hoping to get them off her mind with a series of battles that would lead to a face-off with her father. It was a brisk day outside and she was glad to get out of the chilly wind—especially when she saw Norman's smiling face as she closed the Gym door behind her.

"Daughter!" He strode over to her and enveloped her slight frame in an enormous hug.

"Father," she murmured into his sweater, closing her eyes contentedly.

"I missed you."

"Missed you too, Dad."

They pulled apart, Norman squeezing his daughter's shoulder fondly. "Are you here to challenge me, finally?"

"I am, yeah." Ella tucked her hair behind her ear. "I think I'm ready."

Long story short, she was. Ella had dedicated herself so fiercely to her Pokemon since her last Gym battle that she swept her father's team with ease. Vigoroth and the two Slakings Norman had were slow, lazy creatures that were strong but easy to avoid, even for another giant Pokemon. Gyarados was a true powerhouse, and the look on Norman's face when he saw her with a creature more than ten times her size was priceless. Ella was filled with pride for herself and her four-man team throughout the battle and as her father handed her the gleaming Balance Badge as a mark of her progress thus far.

"I knew you could do it," he told her proudly. He led her back to a small table in the waiting room at the front of the Gym and they sat down to catch up. "So…tell me everything."

Ella told him ALMOST everything, perhaps leaving out the sexier parts, and it took the better part of an hour. Norman was unbelievably proud, but quick to express his concern about her run-ins with a certain gang.

"So you're telling me these people are actively involved in a mission to destroy basically all natural land habitats?"

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds pretty ridiculous, but…uh…yes."

"Are they a true threat?" His frown made the lines in his forehead more pronounced.

"I mean. They've been thwarted at every turn by me, a twenty-two-year-old, hundred-pound woman." That also sounded a bit ridiculous, if Ella was being honest with herself. "They're also continuously fought by Magma, who seem to be of relatively equal strength and ability."

Norman nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that's right. And you said the last encounter you had with Aqua ended with them feeling rather defeated for the foreseeable future?"

"More or less, I think. That was a pretty big plan that we ruined for them."

"You say 'we' like you and Team Magma are some sort of Justice League. I love it." Ella's father laughed heartily. "Well, you know I'm always here if you need another man on your team. I may only have level 35 Pokemon at my Gym, but that's only because I'm the fifth of eight Leaders. I have plenty of other forces at my disposal."

Ella grinned. "That's my dad! What a badass."

He laughed again. "What else would I be?"

They talked for a while longer, and then Ella rose to leave as another challenger entered the Gym.

"Do me a favor and go visit your mother for a day or two. Check in on the Professor as well—I know he'd be delighted to see you again."

Ella nodded. It would fit in with the next part of her journey just fine; she knew she'd need to cross the water from north of Oldale to get back to Mauville anyway. A few days at home wouldn't hurt. "Can do. It'll be a nice break."

"Oh! And stop in at Wally's parents' house before you leave Petalburg. His father stopped by the other day and asked about you."

She bade farewell to her father with a kiss to his cheek, and left the Gym with her five Badges in tow. Wally's family lived just up the road, and it didn't take long before she was knocking on their door hesitantly, wondering why on earth his father wanted to talk to her.

A man answered the door quickly and invited her inside warmly. "I just wanted to thank you for taking care of my son."

"Wally? I mean, I helped him catch a Pokemon, but…"

"But nothing. Ever since he went to Verdanturf Town, he's been healthy and happy. He got out of this city and it turned out to be the best thing for him, plus he's getting very close with his Pokemon. His mother and I are very happy for him and very grateful to you."

Ella smiled happily. "Well, in that case…I'm very glad I could help, sir."

"I'd like to give you something for your trouble. I have this HM here that I haven't used, and thought it might be of good use to you. It's the move Surf."

"Oh, actually, that's perfect! I need to do some water travel on my own coming up here soon. I'd be very thankful!"

"Fantastic." He handed her the HM. "Please travel safely, and let us know if we can ever do anything else for you."

Ella lived for pleasant interactions and positive impressions, always happy to make a difference in the lives of others. She was happy that Wally's family benefitted from the small amount of attention she could give him. It made the rest of the day lovely despite the chill in the air as she traveled the rest of the way back to Littleroot, where her mother waited.

It was great to spend a couple of relaxing days at home with the woman who missed her so much. When they'd moved in, Ella hadn't expected to leave home so quickly and so excitedly. She used these few days to reacquaint herself with the new house, visit with her mother, and drop in at Professor Birch's lab. He expressed joy at her appearance, shaking her hand warmly and congratulating her on the Pokemon she'd seen so far. He asked her about Brendan, letting her know how much he missed his son, and she promised to tell him to visit home once in a while next time she saw him.

Her visit home was too short, but Ella knew that if she stuck around for too long, she'd lose her focus, and everything was going so well for her right now. She took her time over the next several days moving along from that point, going north to Oldale, across the water and north to Mauville, and across to the east again in pursuit of the tiny city in the treetops where her next Gym awaited.

Upon reaching that shore, mind blissfully unencumbered by thoughts of anything but plans for herself and her Pokemon traveling through the coming forest, she hopped off the back of her Gyarados, recalled it, and took a few steps before her eyes settled on another sight she hadn't predicted. A tall man stood facing away from her, gazing closely at a rock formation on the beach, his silver-grey hair ruffling in the chill wind and his slender form wrapped in a handsome peacoat.

The color drained from Ella's face and she felt her heart drop into her stomach.

It was Steven Stone.


End file.
